A judge on Thursday sentenced a former Crystal Lake city clerk to five years in prison after prosecutors said he had enticed children online and was in possession of child sexual abuse material.
The Crystal Lake Police Department began a forensic investigation in late March 2024 after Nicholas Kachiroubas, 46, of Crystal Lake, filed a police report alleging that he received threats of extortion.
Kachiroubas said he received the threats through Snapchat after exchanging illicit photographs with two other Snapchat users, prosecutors said.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, just days later, received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) through DePaul University’s Office of Public Safety.
An unidentified out-of-state high-school student reported to DePaul University about inappropriate online enticement through Snapchat from a person who identified themselves as a DePaul University professor.
Prosecutors said a collaborative law enforcement investigation led to Kachiroubas being identified as the DePaul professor in question.
An in-depth forensic investigation showed that Kachiroubas was in possession of one image of child pornography that had been stored in his Snapchat account, prosecutors said.
Kachiroubas’ same Snapchat account also contained several conversations where he unsuccessfully attempted to solicit photographs of Snapchat users who purported to be underage, prosecutors said.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division served a search warrant at Kachiroubas’ residence in the 200 block of South Dole Avenue in Crystal Lake in June 2024.
Kachiroubas was taken into custody as a result of the warrant and transported to the McHenry County Jail.
Kachiroubas was charged with possession of child pornography, a Class 2 felony, and numerous counts of grooming, a Class 4 felony.
Prosecutors in court said investigators found 14 conversations on the man’s cellphone where he was having explicit conversations with children, the Northwest Herald reported.
Prosecutors said Kachiroubas asked children for nude photographs and shared explicit photos of himself with them, the Herald reported.
Kachiroubas was the city clerk for the City of Crystal Lake at the time of his arrest and had held the position since 2009.
His elected term ended on April 30, 2025, and Crystal Lake changed the position to an appointed one following his arrest.
Kachiroubas was also an associate teaching professor in the School of Public Service at DePaul University in Chicago.
Kachiroubas served as a board member of the Illinois Community College Board, a position he held since 2016.
In a letter sent to Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias following his arrest, Governor JB Pritzker said he was removing Kachiroubas as a member of the Illinois Community College Board effective immediately.
The McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain Kachiroubas pending trial, arguing he was a real and present threat to the safety of the community, but McHenry County Judge Carl Metz denied the petition and ordered Kachiroubas released from custody pending trial.
Court records show Kachiroubas pleaded guilty on November 7 to one count of child pornography, a Class 2 felony, which is the most serious charge against him. His grooming charges were dismissed.
McHenry County Judge Mark Gerhardt sentenced Kachiroubas on Thursday to five years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
The state’s attorney’s office said that while Kachiroubas was eligible for a probation sentence and had no prior criminal history, the seriousness of the case warranted the significant prison term.
McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi Freese said she commends the work of McHenry County Sheriff’s Detective Slyvia Dekirmandjian, the Crystal Lake Police Department and DePaul University Public Safety for their work in the investigation.
Kachiroubas will be placed on mandatory supervised release for a period of three years to life upon release from prison. He must also register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.