A man has been sentenced to 18 years in prison after he pleaded guilty in a case where he was charged with sexually assaulting a child and possessing child pornography in Buffalo Grove.
Jason Akai, 48, of Oak Forest, was indicted by the grand jury in 2019 on two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and 21 counts of child pornography.
A second suspect in the case, Kimberly Schubert, 47, of Buffalo Grove, was initially charged in May 2019 with two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and two counts of child pornography.
A grand jury later indicted Schubert on 16 charges, including two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and 14 counts of child pornography.
The Buffalo Grove Police Department announced the arrest of Schubert and Akai in June 2019 following a several-week investigation.
The investigation was launched after the Department of Children and Family Services received a tip from an out-of-state therapist.
DCFS then notified the Buffalo Grove Police Department about the allegations.
“Evidence was subsequently gathered through the investigation to support the charges against Schubert. It was also determined that pornographic pictures had been distributed to Akai,” the department said in a statement at the time.
Court records show the victim who was sexually assaulted was under the age of 13. The assault occurred in 2014.
Schubert withdrew her not-guilty plea in August 2022 and entered into a negotiated plea deal with the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office.
She pleaded guilty to one count of predatory criminal sexual assault and one count of child pornography.
Schubert was sentenced to nine years in the Illinois Department of Corrections and ordered to register as a sex offender.
Court records show Akai entered into a negotiated plea deal with the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office in late June.
He pleaded guilty to two counts of child pornography in exchange for his other charges, including sexual assault, being dismissed.
A sentencing hearing was held on Tuesday and Lake County Judge Victoria Rossetti sentenced Akai to nine years in the Illinois Department of Corrections on both counts.
The sentences will be served consecutively, meaning he will serve a combined 18-year sentence.
Akai will be required to register as a sex offender for life upon his release from prison.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story said Akai was sentenced to nine years in prison. He was sentenced to nine years for each count he pleaded guilty — for a combined 18 years total.