JERRY DELEON, 44, SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
SENTENCED TO THIRTY YEARS IDOC FOR POSSESSION OF CHILD
PORNOGRAPHY AND TRAVELING TO MEET A MINOR
Franklin County State’s Attorney Abby Dinn announces that Jerry Deleon, 44, of San
Antonio, Texas, pleaded guilty this morning to seven counts of possession of child
pornography and one count of traveling to meet a minor. He was sentenced to thirty (30)
years consecutive in the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC).
On September 24, 2025, Deleon was in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, stopped overnight during
a trip from Chicago, Illinois, to his hometown of San Antonio, Texas. Deleon began an
explicit sexual conversation online with a person he believed to be a 15-year-old male
child. During the conversation, Deleon talked at length and with graphic detail about his
desire to have sexual relations with the minor. He decided to meet the child for sex and
traveled to West Frankfort to do so. After arriving in West Frankfort, Deleon was met by
a witness to the online conversation and the West Frankfort Police Department.
Deleon was arrested for possession of methamphetamine, traveling to meet a minor,
indecent solicitation of a child, and grooming. Deleon’s phone was seized and searched
after his arrest. During a forensic analysis of his phone, investigators located thousands
of videos and still photos of child pornography. Deleon was then charged with twelve
(12) additional counts of possession of child pornography, a Class 2 Felony. On May 28,
2026, Deleon pleaded guilty to seven counts of possession of child pornography and one
count of traveling to meet a minor. All remaining counts were dismissed.
Deleon was sentenced to the maximum sentence possible of twenty-eight (28) years
on the possession of child pornography counts (aggregate cap on mandatory consecutive
sentencing applied). He was also sentenced to two additional years on the traveling to
meet a minor count for a total of thirty (30) years in the Illinois Department of Corrections
followed by a term of mandatory supervised release for two years. The sentences on each
of the eight counts will be served consecutive to one another.
The case was investigated by the West Frankfort Police Department and prosecuted
by State’s Attorney Abby Dinn