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U.S. Department of Justice 2111 W Roosevelt Rd. |
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Chicago FBI Press Office Phone: (312) 829-1199 |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 29, 2008 |
STICKNEY FIRE LIEUTENANT ARRESTED FOR POSSESSION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced today the arrest of MICHAEL J. GRUEBER, age 53, of 2528 Keystone Avenue in North Riverside . GRUEBER was arrested at his residence Friday morning, without incident, by FBI Special Agents assigned to the Chicago FBI’s Innocent Images Task Force (IITF). GRUEBER was charged in a criminal complaint filed late Friday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Chicago with one count of Possession of Child Pornography, which is a felony offense. According to the complaint, GRUEBER was identified by the IITF as a possible purchaser of child pornography over the internet. A search of GRUEBER’s residence was conducted on Friday pursuant to a federal search warrant. During the search, fifty-three (53) compact discs were discovered, most of which contained still and video images of apparent minor children engaging in sexually explicit activity. GRUEBER appeared before Magistrate Judge Maria Valdez in Chicago , Friday afternoon, at which time he was formally charged. GRUEBER was released on bond, pending his next scheduled court appearance. If convicted of the charge filed against him, GRUEBER faces a possible sentence of up to ten (10) years incarceration. The FBI’s Innocent Images initiative was established in 1996 and is part of a nationwide effort to combat the manufacture, distribution and possession of child pornography. At present, there are 43 separate IITF’s in various FBI offices around the country which are investigating similar cases. The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt and that all defendants in a criminal case are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. EDITOR’S NOTE: Copies of the criminal complaint filed in this case is available from the Chicago FBI’s press office at (312) 829-1199.
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