By Jason Meisner
Tribune reporter
7:27 p.m. CDT, April 28, 2014
Former Illinois State Rep. Keith Farnham was charged Monday with using both personal and state-owned computers to trade hundreds of images and videos depicting child pornography and engage in graphic online chats in which he allegedly bragged about sexually molesting a 6-year-old girl.
The federal criminal complaint alleged that Farnham, 66, a Democrat from Elgin, possessed two videos depicting child pornography on a computer that was seized from his state office in Elgin a week before his abrupt resignation in March. Authorities also linked a Yahoo! email account used by Farnham to a online trading forum in which he chatted with other users about his sexual preferences, according to the charges.
“12 is about as old as i can handle,” Farnham allegedly said in one online chat in November, according to the charges. “i love them at 6 7 8”
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Maps
Elgin, IL, United States
Farnham – who twice co-sponsored bills in the House that toughened penalties for child pornography -- is scheduled to make his initial appearance at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on Wednesday.