Logan Square Man Admits To Possessing 1,000 Images Of Child Sexual Abuse Material: FBI

CHICAGO — A Logan Square man is one of dozens who were arrested as part of a nationwide operation to arrest accused child sex abuse offenders, the Chicago FBI office announced. All 55 FBI field offices collaborated in Operation Restore Justice, resulting in 205 arrests.

William Solis, 45, is facing federal felony charges of possession and distribution of child sexual assault material. Solis was arrested April 29 after a months-long investigation, according to a federal criminal complaint. He was among seven Chicago-area residents arrested last week as part of a nationwide crackdown to get child sex predators off the street, the FBI said.

In December 2024, FBI agents executed a search warrant at Solis’s residence in the 2200 block of North Avers Avenue in Chicago. During the raid, law enforcement seized Solis’s various mobile devices and an Apple iPad, showing images of young children being exploited in illicit photos and videos. The FBI said Solis agreed to a recorded interview, who admitted to purchasing CSAM from a “couple of people on the website or internet.”

According to the federal complaint, Solis told law enforcement that he hooked up with CSAM peddlers on Telegraph and MEGA, paying with Cash App. He allegedly told federal investigators to purchasing “maybe a thousand” photos and videos from the distributor. Solis recognized nearly all the material he purchased from the apps.

Solis was identified as a purchaser of the CSAM through Cash App records, that requires personal information such as full name, phone number, email and home address. The FBI said that Solis further admitted to distributing and trading the CSAM he purchased in group chats. He and other users discussed their preferences and would swap CSAM, the complaint said.

The complaint further alleged that Solis admitted to seeking out images of “probably like teenage to like maybe 7 … 8 [years old] or somewhere around there” of boys and girls, “like pictures of kids,” Solis told the feds.

Between the ages of 16 and 26, Solis had numerous arrests for minor infractions, traffic offenses, cannabis and alcohol related offenses, but those arrests ceased 20 years ago, according to a motion for pretrial release.

The defendants in Chicago’s investigations are facing various child abuse or exploitation crimes, including possession, receipt, and distribution of child pornography; transferring obscene material to a minor; or coercion and enticement.

One of these investigations required the support of FBI Chicago’s Special Weapons and Tactics team during the execution of an arrest warrant on April 30.

“Every child deserves to grow up free from fear and exploitation, and the FBI will continue to be relentless in our pursuit of those who exploit the most vulnerable among us,” said FBI Director Kash Patel in a news release. “Operation Restore Justice proves that no predator is out of reach and no child will be forgotten. By leveraging the strength of all our field offices and our federal, state and local partners, we’re sending a clear message: there is no place to hide for those who prey on children.”