FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi L. Freese announces that on May 13, 2026, David Kurth, 32, of Crystal Lake, Illinois, has been sentenced to a total of ten years in the Illinois Department of Corrections after pleading guilty on two cases of Solicitation of Child Sex Abuse Material. Pursuant to the defendant’s guilty pleas, the Honorable Judge Tiffany Davis sentenced him to six years in prison on one case and four years in prison on the second, with the sentences ordered to run consecutively, for a total sentence of ten years.

The charges stemmed from an investigation conducted by officers from the Crystal Lake Police Department who received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Investigators were able to trace an uploaded file that contained child sex abuse material (CSAM) to Kurth’s address in Crystal Lake. Further investigative efforts into Kurth’s electronic devices and online Dropbox records revealed that he had communicated with two minors, one in Massachusetts and the other in New Jersey. Both minors were interviewed, confirmed that Kurth had met them online, and, despite knowing they were minors, persuaded them to send CSAM to him.

Upon release from custody, Kurth will be placed on Mandatory Supervised Release for a period ranging from three years to natural life. Kurth will also be required to registers as a sex offender for the rest of his life.  

McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi Freese stated:

“Crimes involving the exploitation of children are among the most disturbing offenses our office prosecutes. Those who seek out or solicit child sexual abuse material fuel the continued victimization of innocent children. We will continue working closely with our law enforcement partners to aggressively investigate and prosecute these offenses to protect children and our community.”

State’s Attorney Freese thanks Crystal Lake Police Department Detectives Jeffrey Mattson and Jennifer Zelinsky, members of NCMEC, Holbrook Police Department in Massachusetts and the Burlington County Sheriff’s Department in New Jersey, for their collaborative efforts in identifying and apprehending Kurth.

These cases were successfully prosecuted by Assistant State’s Attorneys Justin Neubauer and Shelby Page.

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