CHICAGO — A Near West Side man admitted to having thousands of images of child pornography on his computer after federal agents arrested him Wednesday, authorities said.
Federal agents arrested Devin Jones, 24, of the 1800 block of West Jackson Boulevard, after executing a search warrant and discovering illegal images on a computer at the residence, an indictment said.
According to the criminal complaint, agents stumbled upon Jones while investigating the email account of another person. The other person, who was not identified, and Jones exchanged photos and videos of child pornography, including one email containing 35 illegal images, the indictment said.
The complaint states agents obtained a search warrant for one of the email accounts and discovered 85 percent of the emails exchanged concerned "pornographic images of mostly infants and toddlers."
While monitoring the email, two online purchases lead to the identification of Jones. In response to an advertisement regarding a pen camera purchase, the buyer — identified in the complaint as J Jones — identified himself as "DJ" and provided a cellphone number. Later, the buyer provided the name "Devin" and used the same cellphone number for the purchase of a bike, according to the complaint.
Jones is listed as a sexual predator and was convicted of possession of child pornography in Michigan, according to the complaint.
Jones was convicted of having inappropriate contact with a 17-year-old when he was 20 years old, state records show.
During an interview with agents, Jones admitted to having several thousand images of child pornography and told investigators "he thinks what he is doing wrong and that there may be a problem with him," the complaint said.
He later admitted to molesting a 4-year-old friend of the family on three occasions, the complaint said. No charges have been filed in connection with that admission.
If convicted, Jones faces a $250,000 fine and a minimum of 10 years in federal prison.
