FBI Joins Aurora Police Search for Victims of Accused Aurora Christian Schools Board Member Michael Herbert
The FBI has joined Aurora police in searching for additional victims of Michael Herbert, a former Aurora Christian Schools board member charged with multiple sex crimes against minors. Herbert, 55, is held in Kane County jail.
FBI expands investigation into former Aurora school official
The FBI has joined the Aurora Police Department in searching for potential victims of Michael Herbert, a 55-year-old former board member of Aurora Christian Schools who faces multiple felony charges for the alleged sexual abuse of minors.
Herbert remains in custody at the Kane County jail and is scheduled for a status hearing on July 22, according to Kane County circuit court records.
What Herbert is accused of
The investigation began in December 2025 when a man in his 20s reported to Aurora police that he had been sexually abused starting in his early teens, according to the Aurora Police Department.
Prosecutors said Herbert allegedly used a trusted position within the Aurora community to groom and abuse the victim over several years. The alleged abuse began in 2015, when the boy was 13, and ended in 2019, when he turned 18, according to Kane County prosecutors.
"Herbert provided gifts, money and other incentives as part of the ongoing manipulation and abuse," authorities said, according to the Daily Herald.
Herbert was charged on May 14 with the following felonies, according to court records and multiple news reports:
- Involuntary sexual servitude of a minor under 17
- Involuntary sexual servitude of a minor age 17 to 18
- Four counts of criminal sexual assault in a supervisory role with a victim over 13 and under 17
- Three counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse
- Possession of child sexual abuse material
FBI asks public to come forward
The FBI's Chicago Field Office announced Monday that it believes Herbert primarily targeted minor boys between 2013 and 2022, according to the Chicago Tribune and WGN.
Investigators developed information suggesting Herbert may have had similar contact with other juvenile male victims, based on evidence gathered during the investigation and reports made to other law enforcement agencies, the Aurora Police Department said.
The FBI is asking anyone who believes Herbert victimized them or their child to fill out a confidential form at fbi.gov/LetYourVoiceBeHeard. The agency said responses are voluntary and identities will be kept confidential. Those who respond may be contacted by FBI agents for additional information.
"Responses may be useful in the federal investigation and to identify you as a potential victim," the FBI said on its webpage about the investigation.
Aurora Christian Schools responds
Aurora Christian Schools confirmed in May that Herbert no longer serves on its school board. The school said it would continue to cooperate with the Aurora Police Department in its investigation, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Aurora Christian Schools' online records showed Herbert served as vice chairman and secretary of the school board. His wife taught at the Aurora campus, according to the Daily Herald.
Herbert's attorney declined to comment, the Chicago Tribune reported.
What happens next
Herbert's next court appearance is a status hearing on July 22 in Kane County circuit court. He remains held without bond at the Kane County jail as of Tuesday, according to Kane County detainee records.