James K. Young, 66, of Dupo, pleaded guilty to two counts of receiving child pornography, U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft announced Tuesday.

Young was also charged with five counts of distributing child porn, but those charges will be dismissed at a sentencing hearing set for May 13 at federal court in East St. Louis.

Young was discovered by law enforcement during an online undercover investigation. 

On May 3, 2018, a federal search warrant was executed at Young’s home. His desktop computer was seized and found to contain 2,441 images of child porn. As part of his plea, Young admitted he knowingly received child porn on Nov. 7, 2017 and April 29, 2018.

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