May 12, 2014

Independence Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing and Possessing Child Pornography

A man who distributed and possessed child pornography pled guilty on May 9, 2014, in federal court in Cedar Rapids.

Steven Risk, age 38, from Independence, Iowa, was convicted of one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

At the plea hearing, Risk admitted that, between June 2011 and February 2013, he distributed child pornography. He also admitted that, between October 2012 and February 2013, he possessed child pornography, including depictions of prepubescent children.

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Risk remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Risk faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a $500,000 fine, a $200 special assessment, 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, Homeland Security Investigations, 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 the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “Resources.”