CHICAGO — A Chicago was sentenced to more than half a decade in prison following his conviction of sharing child pornography online.
Prosecutors say Benny L. Butler, 36, possessed more than 2,800 videos and more than 7,600 images of child pornography on multiple electronic devices. Butler, in 2017, shared several videos and images with users of Chatstep, an anonymous online chat room service.
On Tuesday, Butler was sentenced to 15 years and eight months in federal prison, followed by 20 years of court-supervised release. He was also ordered to pay thousands in restitution.
“It is impossible to overstate the seriousness of defendant’s conduct and the need for just punishment,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley A. Chung argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “Defendant not only possessed a staggering amount of child pornography, but also distributed, downloaded, and traded child pornography with others online.”