Glasford man sentenced to 50 years in prison for production, possession of child pornography

GLASFORD (25News Now) - A Glasford man was sentenced Thursday to 360 months in prison for producing child pornography, to be served consecutive to a 240-month prison sentence for possession of child pornography.

In total, Benjamin C. Lascelles, 36, of the 600 block of Main Street, was sentenced to 50 years in prison followed by a lifetime term of supervised release, according to the Department of Justice.

Lascelles must also register as a sex offender upon release.

The DOJ also says his sentence will be served concurrently with a case filed in Peoria County where he pleaded guilty to predatory criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual assault where he was sentenced to 48 years and seven years in prison, respectively.

At Lascelles’ sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that Lascelles video recorded and photographed himself sexually assaulting two children, ages 8 and 6, on multiple occasions in December 2019. In February 2020, law enforcement officers with the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Secret Service executed a search warrant at Lascelles’ residence in Glasford and seized his electronic devices, including computers, cameras, mobile devices, and electronic storage devices.

A forensic review of the devices revealed that Lascelles had produced 90 images and 8 videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including videos of himself engaged in sex acts with a prepubescent minor, according to the release.

Also at the hearing, Judge James Shadid discounted Lascelles’ continued insistence that he was not sexually interested in children and had no recollection of the conduct for which he was being sentenced due to his excessive alcohol use.

Lascelles was arrested on a criminal complaint in the federal case in February 2020. An indictment was filed in March 2020. He pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a minor and possession of child pornography in November 2022. He has remained in custody throughout the pendency of his case.

The statutory penalties for sexual exploitation of a minor are 15 to 30 years’ imprisonment and the penalties for possession of child pornography are up to 20 years’ imprisonment. Each of the charges carries a minimum five-year term of supervised release and a possible fine of up to $250,000. Special assessments under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act are also possible.