A registered sex offender and Round Lake Park man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for soliciting multiple children online for sex in McHenry County in exchange for money and alcohol.
The Algonquin Police Department received a report on June 21, 2025, of an adult male who had engaged in inappropriate contact with female children, according to Algonquin Police Department Detective Sergeant Nathanael Stenger.
Stenger said the suspect was reported to be a registered sex offender.
Detectives launched a “thorough investigation,” which identified Anthony D. Morales, 32, of Round Lake Park, as the offender.
Stenger said three juvenile females, between the ages of 14 and 15, had been in regular contact with Morales.
The McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office reviewed the case and authorized charges of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, two counts of indecent solicitation of a child, traveling to meet a minor, grooming, two counts of solicitation of a sexual act from a child and contributing to the criminal delinquency of a minor.
A criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court said Morales committed an act of sexual conduct on two different children after soliciting them.
Morales spoke with one of the victims on Snapchat and the victim identified themselves as a child, the complaint said.
The complaint said Morales arranged to meet the child at Walmart in Algonquin, nearly 30 miles from where he lived.
Morales also used Snapchat to communicate with one of the other victims and arranged a time to meet with the intent to solicit sex acts, the complaint said.
The complaint said Morales solicited and received sex from the victims in exchange for providing them with bottles of alcohol and $300.
Court documents also said Morales attempted to collude with one of the victims to prevent her from reporting him to law enforcement in exchange for money and drugs.
State records show Morales is a registered sexual predator who has to register for life after being convicted of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a child in Lake County. The victim was 15 years old and Morales was 23 at the time of the offense.
Morales has remained held in the McHenry County Jail since his arrest.
Court records show he entered into a negotiated plea deal with the state’s attorney’s office and pleaded guilty to aggravated criminal sexual abuse, a Class 2 felony, in exchange for the rest of his charges being dismissed.
McHenry County Judge Tiffany Davis approved the plea deal and sentenced Morales to 10 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
“This man exploited social media to gain access to a child despite already being a registered sex offender. Predators who use online platforms to target children pose a serious threat to our community. This sentence ensures that he will be removed from our streets for years while sending a clear message that those who prey upon children will be aggressively prosecuted and held fully accountable.”
The state’s attorney’s office said they remind parents and guardians to remain actively involved in their children’s online activity.
Apps like Snapchat can provide offenders with opportunities to contact children anonymously or under false identities, the office said.
“Open communication, privacy settings, and regular monitoring of online interactions remain critical tools in protecting children from online exploitation,” the state’s attorney’s office said.
Morales will be placed on mandatory supervised release for four years upon his release from prison and must comply with the Illinois Sex Offender Registration Act for the rest of his life.