North Liberty Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Possession of Child Pornography

DAVENPORT, Iowa – On February 5, 2020, United States District Court Chief Judge John A. Jarvey, sentenced Ricki Charles Hess, age 55, of North Liberty, to 144 months in prison for possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum. Hess was ordered to serve five years of supervised release following his imprisonment, pay $9,000 in restitution and $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund, and to comply with sex offender registry requirements upon release.

On August 19, 2019, Hess pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography. The investigation began in August 2017 when the North Liberty Police Department received a cyber-tip from the Iowa Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force relating to Hess. Agents searched Hess’s residence and seized several electronic devices. A forensic analysis was conducted on Hess’s HP computer, a hard drive, and a cellular phone and it revealed numerous images of child pornography. In excess of 160 video files and more than 30 images of child pornography were found in Hess’ possession.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), with assistance from the North Liberty Police Department and ICAC. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.