Two charged with possessing child sex abuse images

Two men from North Aurora were both charged Oct. 16 with possessing child sex abuse images, Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser and Sheriff Ron Hain announced in a news release.

Mosser alleged that Johnny Cheng, 32 and Anthony W. Edens Jr., 34, both of the 1000 block of Selwyn Parkway, North Aurora, possessed multiple images of child sexual abuse videos on or about May 8 with full knowledge of their content and nature, according to the release.

Cheng was charged with four counts of felony possession of child sexual abuse videos, according to the release.

Edens was charged with five counts of felony possession of child sexual abuse videos; two misdemeanor counts of possession of a firearm without a valid FOID card; and one misdemeanor count of illegal possession of ammunition without a FOID card, according to the release.

The Kane County Child Exploitation Unit conducted the investigation. The unit is a collaboration of the State’s Attorney’s and the Sheriff’s Offices, according to the release.

Though prosecutors filed court papers to detain both men, after their hearings, Judge John Barsanti allowed Cheng to be released on supervision, and Judge David Kliment allowed Edens to be released on supervision, court records show.

Both judges ordered that as a condition of their pretrial release, Edens and Cheng cannot have unsupervised contact with minors under age 18 and no access to the internet except for work purposes, court records show.

The most serious charges they face are the child porography possession, as each count is a Class 2 felony punishable by four to seven years in prison and fines up to $25,000, if convicted. A judge can also impose a sentence of up to 48 months of probation.

Both men are to appear in court again Dec. 4.