IL Church Choir Director Gets 88 Years For Child Porn

Illinois Public Radio reports:

A Normal man was sentenced to 88 years in prison on Wednesday for criminal sexual assault of a minor and possession of child pornography. Michael D. Schneider worked as a staff member at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Bloomington before his arrest in June 2021 on the felony charges.

The victim, now a college student, struggled through tears to read a four-page victim impact statement. Periods of depression, suicide attempts and self-harm were all part of the aftermath of the grooming and sexual assaults that started when she was about 14, she said.

The fact that the pornography depicted toddlers engaged in sexual acts with men, and Schneider blamed the victim “should be enough to lock him up and throw away the key,” said state’s attorney Erika Reynolds.

Peoria’s NBC affiliate reports



Judge William Yoder called the more than 100 videos and images of child porn found on a thumb drive in Michael Schneider’s home “repugnant beyond belief.” Illinois law dictates each individual piece of porn carries its own criminal charge. Schneider faced 130 charges in total, he pleaded guilty to 15. He was sentenced to four years per charge, totaling 60 years.

Authorities confirmed Schnieder, 35, was also a choir director at Bloomington’s St. John’s Lutheran Church. Several of the supporters in attendance bore the ashy cross marking the first day of Lent. Forty individuals wrote letters to Yoder in support of Schneider, asking for a lighter sentence or the possibility of parole.

The mother described the grooming behavior Schneider used on her daughter that she learned of only after the fact. She described him taking her to buy lingerie and sex toys for the girl.