Oswego Man, 83, Convicted Of Sexually Assaulting Child Under 13: Weis

OSWEGO, IL — An 83-year-old man from Oswego was convicted of sexually assaulting a family member for seven years, starting when she was 6 years old, officials said.

Allen A. Taft, of 211 Judson Ave., was convicted by a jury last week of three counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. The jury deliberated for just over an hour before returning with guilty verdicts on all charges.

Taft's bond was revoked immediately following the verdict, and he was remanded into Kendall County Sheriff's Office custody. According to jail records, he posted 10 percent of his $25,000 bond and was released Feb. 28, 2023.

The assaults happened between 2008 and 2015, and detectives concluded a 10-month investigation into the incident in February 2023, Patch reported.

RELATED: Man, 82, Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Child For 7 Years: Oswego PD

An investigation began when the victim reported to law enforcement that Taft had committed multiple acts of sexual penetration on her while inside the man's home, according to the Kendall County State's Attorney's Office. Officials said the victim, now an adult, kept the abuse a secret for years until "finally having the courage to come forward and report the abuse to law enforcement."

"Weis stated that the courage of this victim and her confidence in the State’s Attorney’s Office to come forward and confront her abuser in open court, and testify about the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of this offender allowed justice to be served," the state's attorney's office wrote in a news release.

Taft will be sentenced on Oct. 8, with a minimum prison term of 21 years. Officials said that given his age, it is equal to a life-in-prison sentence.