CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago man admitted in federal court that he illegally possessed more than 3,000 videos and images depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

MIGUEL ASCENCIOS, also known as “Allison Wou,” 55, of Burr Ridge, Ill., pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal charge of receipt of child pornography.  The conviction is punishable by a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison and a maximum of up to 20 years.  U.S. District Judge Robert W. Gettleman set sentencing for Aug. 22, 2023.

Ascencios admitted in a plea agreement that in 2017 and 2018 he used social media and a file-sharing service to receive and share computer files depicting child pornography.  Among the thousands of files he possessed were videos depicting the sexual exploitation of toddlers, the plea agreement states. 

Two ten-year-old children depicted in the images and videos have been identified as known child victims by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.  The Court at sentencing will determine the amount of restitution owed to victims.

The guilty plea was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Ruth M. Mendonça, Inspector-in-Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.  Substantial assistance was provided by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, the Los Angeles Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the U.S. Marshals Service.  The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Malgorzata Tracz Kozaka.

If you believe you are a victim of sexual exploitation, you are encouraged to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by logging on to www.missingkids.com or by calling 1-800-843-5678.  The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Original source can be found here.