CHICAGO — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Illinois, Northern), published as received.

CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago man has been sentenced to ten years in federal prison for possessing more than 3,000 images and videos depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

In 2017 and 2018, MIGUEL ASCENCIOS, also known as “Allison Wou,” 55, of Burr Ridge, Ill., 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.

Ascencios pleaded guilty last year to a federal charge of receipt of child pornography.  In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Robert W. Gettleman on Feb. 20, 2024, ordered Ascencios to pay $7,000 in restitution to four of his victims.

The sentence 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 U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Los Angeles Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the U.S. Marshals Service.

“Defendant was not a passive participant in a victimless crime; rather, he directly contributed to both the victimization of children and demand for further material,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne L. Yonover argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum.  “Defendant perpetuated the victims’ abuse and helped to preserve a permanent record of those images and videos.”

The government was represented by Ms. Yonover and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Malgorzata 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.