North Pekin man sentenced to 6 years in prison for solicitation, distribution of child pornography

NORTH PEKIN (25 News Now) - A man from North Pekin was sentenced Wednesday to six years in prison for soliciting an obscene visual depiction of a minor and for distribution of child pornography.

At the sentencing for Larry Daniel Saal, 54, of the 100 block of Lincoln Boulevard, the government presented evidence that, in 2015, Saal emailed another individual on Yahoo to request images and videos depicting adults sexually abusing prepubescent children, according to a Department of Justice release.

In 2016, Saal emailed images and videos containing child pornography to another Yahoo user. Law enforcement officers interviewed Saal in 2021, and he admitted receiving child pornography through Yahoo. Law enforcement officers obtained a search warrant for his phone, and they found images of child pornography and internet searches related to child pornography from April 2021.

The sentence is to be followed by a 6-year term of supervised release. Saal must also register as a sex offender and pay $13,000 in restitution to the victims.

Saal was indicted in September 2021 and pleaded guilty in February 2022.

The statutory penalties for each count are 5 to 20 years of imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, and 5 years to life of supervised release.