The case of Ricardo Russell, a former Deerfield High School janitor described in court documents as a dealer of child pornography, highlights the dark side of a new technology and a rising concern for the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office — artificially generated sexual images of children.

Russell faces 25 charges, including 13 for child pornography and 12 for “obscene depiction of a purported child,” authorities said.

According to a letter to parents from Township High School District 113 Superintendent Chala Holland, Russell had been let go from his job as a third-shift janitor on July 16, 2024, and the district had not learned about the allegations against him until news recently broke about the charges.

In court documents listing Russell’s charges and describing the investigatio

See Full Page