Stephen Maggio

Sources

1. Charges filed against man who had child sex abuse material on phone, was turned in to police in Zion by content creator, Lake McHenry County Scanner, December 29, 2025.
2. Psycho Mormon Youth Pastor FREAKS OUT On Me!, YouTube/JiDion Premium, April 27, 2026.

• 1. Charges filed against man who had child sex abuse material on phone, was turned in to police in Zion by content creator

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  • Lake McHenry County Scanner

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  A man has been charged after online videos went viral where a child predator catcher turned him in to police in Zion for trying to meet up with children and possessing child sex abuse material.

  Investigators from the Zion Police Department arrested Stephen Maggio, 38, of Gurnee, on Friday.

  Maggio was charged with two counts of child sexual abuse material, a Class 1 felony.

  Zion Police Department Detective Lt. Paul Kehrli said the investigation began on December 21 after a YouTube content creator called police to report that Maggio had arrived at a local cafe, apparently believing he was meeting a child.

  The content creator had obtained Maggio’s phone before officers arrived and handed it over, stating it contained child sexual abuse material and also had the chat logs evidencing attempts at child enticement, Kehrli said.

  That content creator was EDP Watch, which is a YouTube and Instagram channel featuring videos of child predators being caught.

  The creator of the account, Jidon Armani Adams, also known as JiDion, said Maggio was a Mormon church member who was caught trying to meet up with children, as young as four years old

  The police were called to the area of 21st Street and Sheridan Road in Zion and Maggio showed one of the officers a “horrible” video of a 5-year-old girl being sexually abused, JiDion said.

  JiDion said Maggio claimed he was thinking of harming himself so he was transported to the hospital for an evaluation.

  JiDion said he later found the suspect still active on Facebook despite police telling him that the suspect would be arrested and charged that day.

  JiDion said he called the Zion Police Department for two days to get answers.

  He said that the police department told him they have the suspect’s phone and the report and “what else do you want us to do?”

  “I don’t know, arrest him?!” JiDion said in response. “This dude does not deserve to be out among the streets, especially when kids are outside playing.”

  JiDion, whose YouTube channel has over 8 million subscribers and his Instagram account has nearly 500,000 followers, told his viewers to call the Zion Police Department to get justice.

  Videos related to the incident have garnered millions of views on social media.

  Kehrli confirmed that Maggio was transported to the hospital during the initial police encounter where his phone was seized and officers gathered details from the content creator about their social media interactions with Maggio.

  The case was assigned to detectives specializing in digital forensics, who worked to secure search warrants and build probable cause.

  “Despite public pressure from viral online videos of the incident, prompting numerous calls and emails demanding swift arrest, authorities emphasized the need for rigorous evidence to meet legal standards,” Kehrli said.

  “A critical challenge was verifying that the CSAM and communications on the phone were authentic and not planted as part of a set-up,” he added.

  The Zion Police Department worked with the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office over the holiday and investigators established a digital timeline confirming Maggio had acquired and stored the explicit material on his device.

  Kehrli said there is no evidence that Maggio produced any of the material on his phone but additional charges remain possible pending the ongoing investigation.

  He was arrested at his residence and transported to the police department. Maggio required further medical treatment after his arrest and appeared in First Appearance Court on Sunday morning.

  The state’s attorney’s office filed a petition to detain Maggio pending trial and Lake County Judge Matthew DeMartini set a detention hearing for Tuesday afternoon.

  Maggio remains held in the Lake County Jail ahead of the hearing.

• 2. Psycho Mormon Youth Pastor FREAKS OUT On Me!

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