Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced today that Gary Steininger, 50, of South Jacksonville was sentenced to 24 years in prison following his guilty plea in Morgan County Circuit Court.
Steininger pleaded guilty to two Class X felony counts of dissemination of child pornography, both involving children under the age of 13. The sentence was handed down by Morgan County Circuit Judge Christopher Reif.
Steininger appeared in Morgan County Circuit Court last Tuesday where he declined the state’s offer for a plea bargain. According to court records, the offer was formally withdrawn and a court hearing was scheduled for early March.
Investigators with the Attorney General’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, assisted by the South Jacksonville Police Department, searched Steininger’s residence in May of 2025. Authorities say the investigation uncovered evidence that Steininger had shared 10 videos of child sexual abuse material online between December 2024 and January 2025. Following Steininger’s arrest, parents from the Illinois School for the Deaf were notified of his arrest, as he was actively employed as a night custodian at the time at the school. School officials said his interaction with students were minimal and supervised. No further charges have been brought forth since Steininger’s initial arrest.