Ex-Illinois Rep. Farnham sentenced to 8 years for child pornography

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Facing questions about terminal illness and just punishment, a federal judge sentenced former Illinois Rep. Keith Farnham to eight years in prison for compiling and trading hundreds of pornographic images online of toddlers and other children.

Farnham has a terminal case of pulmonary fibrosis, and the question is - what's an appropriate sentence for a man who's expected to die in the next three to four months, but who is also a man who, over the last decade, was distributing child porn pictures and videos over the internet - some from computers in the office he held as a state representative from Elgin.

Over 2,700 images of children - one as young as 6-months-old - in forced acts of sex. All retrieved from his computers.

The federal court moved to Elgin Thursday to accommodate Farnham's inability to travel. A relative of Farnham's wife testified that she was sexually abused by Farnham decades ago as an 8-year-old, and that the event - earlier blocked from memory - has ruined her life.

Farnham denies sexually abusing anyone, but admits to distributing child pornography.

"I want to say how sorry I am to the victims of the horrendous crime", Farnham said in court, claiming that he too was a victim of sexual abuse as a young child.

And to his immediate family, who are now also victims, "...for that I'm truly, truly sorry to the depth of my heart."

"He's been absolutely accepting of what he did. He doesn't blame anybody but himself," said Terry Ekl, Farnham's attorney. "He doesn't blame the abuse that he had as a child on what he did."

His attorney argued for some leniency - that Farnham be allowed to die with some measure of dignity, but U.S. District Judge Edmund Chang said, "There's nothing I or anyone can do to restore his dignity. The defendant put himself in this position."

Calling the crime despicable, Chang sentenced Farnham to eight years - three more than the mandatory minimum.

As Farnham was wheeled to a waiting car, a bystander mocked, "Thanks for hurting Elgin. Thanks for letting us down."

Farnham declined to comment.

"It's a truly sad case all the way around," Ekl said.

Part of his sentence also requires Farnham to pay a $30,000 fine. He remains on home confinement until he reports for prison May 19.