Storm Lake Man Admits Downloading Child Pornography

A man who downloaded child pornography from the Internet pled guilty today in federal court in Sioux City.

Francisco Campos, age 29, from Storm Lake, Iowa, was convicted of one count of receiving child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography.

At the plea hearing, Campos admitted that, between October 2008 and May 2009, he knowingly received and possessed videos of child pornography. Campos admitted he downloaded these videos using the Internet.

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Donald E. O’Brien will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Campos remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Under the terms of a plea agreement, Campos will be sentenced to five years’ imprisonment. He faces a maximum fine of $500,000, $200 in special assessments, and supervised release for five years to life following his imprisonment.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Storm Lake Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.