Aurora Man Faces 81-Year Term For Sexually Abusing, Recording Teen: SA

AURORA, IL — An Aurora man is facing a prison sentence of more than eight decades after he was found guilty of sexually abusing and recording a teenager, according to the Kane County State's Attorney's Office.

Ronald J. Lye, 54, was found guilty of 13 counts of manufacturing pornography, 19 counts of possessing child pornography, and 13 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

Assistant State's Attorneys Lori Schmidt and Morgan Wilkinson said in court that the sexual abuse occurred between April 1 and May 7, 2020. Lye drove to the victim's home, picked up the boy, a 13-year-old whom he met on a social media app, and drove him to his Aurora residence where he recorded the sexual contact, prosecutors said.

Lye, of the 1600 block of Fairwood Place, faces a sentence of 81 years in prison. He waived his right to a jury trial.

"The victim was only 13 years of age at the time of these crimes," Schmidt said in a statement. "Despite still being a child at the time of trial, the victim testified in an open courtroom with remarkable courage, describing the details of their abuse all while facing the person who stole their innocence."