Can Online Chat Logs Be Used As Evidence in Illinois? Attorneys Christopher Combs and Joshua Boardman from Combs Waterkotte discuss everything you need to know about Illinois sex crime charges, including sexual assault, sexual abuse, rape, and more.
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Interview Transcript
Scott Michael Dunn: Can online chat logs be used as evidence in sex crimes in Illinois?
Joshua Boardman: Yes, and they often are. They’ll be subpoenaed typically by the state’s attorney’s office as a result of the case that’s ongoing, and they’ll utilize that as evidence of specifically. So, if you’re talking about once again with the grooming statute, they’ll utilize those chat logs to demonstrate the intent or the knowledge of the defendant as to the age of the alleged victim or witness as far as, you know, you go to a revenge porn type of analysis. I’ve talked to people that have been accused of revenge porn that have disseminated private images onto Reddit, onto other sort of dark web, these chat environments. And so, all ofc those can end up getting subpoenaed as well.
Dunn: If you can find them.
Boardman: If you can find them, yes. And that sometimes becomes a problem because in some of these avenues of communication are not the most accountable.
