From the State’s Attorney;
JUDGE GRANTS STATE’S PETITION TO DETAIN HUNTLEY MAN AFTER POLICE SIEZE LARGE CACHE OF CHILD SEX ABUSE MATERIAL
McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi Freese announces that on February 13, 2026, the Honorable Judge Cynthia Lamb granted the State’s petition to deny pretrial release for John Ruffolo, 20, of Huntley, Illinois.
Ruffolo appeared in Initial Appearance Court on February 13, 2026, charged with seventeen counts of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), varying from class X felonies for distribution to class 3 felonies for possession.
Evidence was presented in court at the hearing that the Huntley Police Department began investigating Ruffolo after receiving a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Internet Crimes Against Children forwarded of a Dropbox account uploading CSAM. Investigative efforts connected the Dropbox account from the cybertip to Ruffolo, wherein over 1,000 images and over 200 videos of CSAM were located.
A subsequent search of Ruffolo’s home uncovered over 37,000 more images located on an encrypted external hard drive.
This investigation revealed that Ruffolo was an active participant in the facilitation, possession, and distribution of child sexual abuse material to other users through various social media applications.
In granting of the State’s Petition to Deny Pretrial Release, Judge Lamb found that there were no conditions or combination of conditions that exist to mitigate the risk that Ruffolo poses to the community.
State’s Attorney Freese is appreciative of the thorough investigative work done by the Huntley Police Department and thanks the Illinois Attorney General’s Office for their collaborative assistance.
Until further order of the court, Ruffolo must remain in the custody of the McHenry County Jail during the pendency of this case. Ruffolo’s next court appearance is scheduled for February 20, 2026, in courtroom 302.
Members of the public are reminded that this complaint contains only charges and is not proof of the defendant’s guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove his or her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
