Feds Charge Former Elgin State Lawmaker With Possession Of Child Porn
(CBS) – A former state representative who abruptly resigned earlier this year following a federal raid faces child-pornography charges.
Keith Farnham, 66, of Elgin was charged Monday with possession of child pornography, in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago. He allegedly possessed two videos depicting child pornography on a computer that was seized from his state office in Elgin in March, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a news release.
Farnham was not arrested. An initial court appearance has been set for 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse.
Federal agents on March 13 executed a federal search warrant at Farnham's office and residence in Elgin, and several computers and electronic storage devices were recovered. They contained child pornography images, according to a complaint affidavit.
The office computer that contained the videos was labeled "PROPERTY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES," the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Farnham resigned his seat in the Illinois General Assembly on March 19.
Federal agents linked Farnham to an email account that was used to send and receive child pornography, prosecutors said.
Possession of child pornography carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
