A 37-year-old Smithton man was charged Friday in federal court on child porn charges.

Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced that Kyle W. Oberg, 37, of Smithton, was charged with production of child pornography and possession of child pornography.

The alleged violations took place between Nov. 23, 2012, and June 27, in St. Clair County. After a detention hearing, the court ordered that Oberg be held without bond pending trial.

“My office will not cease to protect the most vulnerable individuals in our society,” Wigginton said. “Crimes against children hurt every member of our society.”

A trial date has been set for Oct. 28. If convicted, Oberg faces a term of imprisonment of not less than 15 years but not more than 30 years of imprisonment, a fine up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of not less than five years up to life.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

The case was investigated by the Smithton Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service Southern Illinois Cyber-Crime Unit. The case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Angela Scott.