SHELBY COUNTY (WAND) - A former Shelbyville man has been sentenced to four years in prison for two separate counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse charges involving two child victims, per Shelby County State’s Attorney.
Officials report on February 24, 2022, Christopher Chiovari, 42, currently of Stewardson, IL and originally of Shelbyville, was sentenced to four years on sexual abuse charges.
Class 2 Felony charges have a sentencing range of probation up to seven years in prison.
Chiovari sentence will be served concurrently and upon his release from prison Chiovari will be registered as a lifelong sex offender.
Authorities say Chiovari was charged in 2019 with committing acts of sexual conduct with two minor children by inappropriately touching them. He was sentenced to prison after a contested hearing in which recorded interviews of the victims were played and a victim impact statement prepared by the victims’ mother was read.
Although Chiovari stated to Deputy Justin Dudra during an interrogation that his conduct was “crazy and disturbing,” he proclaimed his innocence at the sentencing hearing and requested a term of probation, citing to medical ailments that he suffers from as a reason that incarceration would be inappropriate.
State’s Attorney Kroncke stated that the defendant’s conduct was abhorrent and would likely have a lifetime impact on the two innocent children he chose to victimize. For those reasons, Kroncke stated, a prison sentence was warranted.
Authorities report this Chiovari’s first felony conviction, and that he is awaiting transportation to the Illinois Department of Corrections.
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