Romeoville Man Asked Teen Girl for Lewd Photos: State's Attorney

Johnny Cura. Credit: Will County Sheriff’s Office.

A 37-year-old Romeoville man was arrested Monday on felony child porn charges after investigators said he tried to entice a teenage girl to take and send lewd photos of herself to him during text chats, the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office said.

Johnny Cura, of 216 Haller Drive, is charged with three counts of child pornography. Investigators allege that he solicited a a 15-year-old girl to send him naked photos of herself in lewd positions.

The State’s Attorney’s office said the teenage victim lives in another Midwestern state, but said the ongoing investigation involves more children from jurisdictions throughout Illinois and the United States.

Will County State’s Attorney’s Office spokesman Chuck Pelkie said investigators and prosecutors are in the process of contacting law enforcement officials in those jurisdictions.

The charges against Cura are Class 1 felonies that carry a sentence of four to 15 years if he’s convicted, without the possibility of probation.

Circuit Judge Jeff Allen set Cura’s bond at $1.5 million after his Monday afternoon arrest. He was scheduled to appear in Will County Court on Tuesday afternoon.

Cura’s arrest was the result of a joint investigation by the State’s Attorney’s Office’s High Technology Crimes Unit Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Will County Sheriff Michael Kelley’s computer forensics team and the Romeoville Police Department, officials said.

“I want to issue a wakeup call to concerned parents to vigilantly monitor the online activities of their children,” State’s Attorney Jim Glasgow said. “Predators are combing the Internet seeking vulnerable children. They use personal computers, tablets and cellular phones to connect with apps and social networking sites like Facebook, KIK and Skype that enable them to target victims.”

Glasgow cautioned that parents should never underestimate how vulnerable their children are online.

“In some instances, these predators use persuasion. In other cases, they utilize threats and intimidation to coerce victims into taking lewd photographs and videos of themselves,” Glasgow said. “The harm they can cause to our children is immeasurable.”