Oxford Junction Resident Nicholas Appleby Sentenced to 40 Years for Child Sex Exploitation

Grimy Times – A grim chapter in the annals of Iowa’s criminal justice system has come to a close with the sentencing of Nicholas Appleby, 32, of Oxford Junction. Appleby was handed a 40-year federal prison term on May 27, 2014, for the heinous crime of sexually exploiting two young girls.

In December 2013, Appleby pleaded guilty to charges of sexual exploitation of children and possession of child pornography. The court heard harrowing details of how Appleby coerced two female minors into participating in explicit acts, with the intent of producing visual depictions of their abuse. He also confessed to possessing pornographic images of these vulnerable victims.

United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade presided over the sentence hearing in Cedar Rapids. Appleby was sentenced to a total of 480 months’ imprisonment, along with a special assessment of $200 and a 20-year term of supervised release following his prison term. His name will be added to the sex offender registry, and he is subject to public notification requirements.

The prosecution of this case was led by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel, with investigations conducted by the Jones County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. This crime falls under the auspices of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.

For more information on Project Safe Childhood and internet safety education, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Court file information for this case is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl with case file number CR 13-36.