James Henry McGinity, Distributed Child Pornography, IA, 2016

James Henry McGinity, 67, of Burlington, Iowa, was sentenced to 160 months in federal prison for distributing child pornography, a crime that exposed the darkest corners of his digital life. The sentence, handed down on October 21, 2016, by Chief U.S. District Judge John A. Jarvey, marks the end of a federal investigation that peeled back years of hidden exploitation.

McGinity pleaded guilty on May 26, 2016, to one count of distributing child pornography, the first charge in a two-count indictment. According to court documents, he admitted to sharing illegal material over the internet on August 11, 2013. That single act set off a chain of law enforcement actions that led to the discovery of more evidence, including the possession of child pornography on December 16, 2015.

Though originally charged with both distribution and possession, the possession count was dropped at sentencing as part of a plea agreement. Still, the damage was irreversible. The material McGinity distributed depicted the brutal sexual abuse of minors—images that circulate endlessly and re-victimize children with every download and share.

As part of the ruling, McGinity will face a mandatory ten-year term of supervised release following his imprisonment. During that time, he will be under constant watch, barred from accessing certain technologies, and required to register as a sex offender. Judge Jarvey also ordered the forfeiture of a computer, a camera, and multiple digital storage devices used in the commission of the crime.

The investigation was a coordinated effort by the Iowa Department of Public Safety, the Iowa Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Scott County Sheriff’s Office, and the Davenport Police Department. Their joint work exemplifies the growing network of state and federal agencies dedicated to hunting down predators who exploit children online.

U.S. Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel, who oversaw the prosecution, reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to pursuing such crimes aggressively. ‘This sentence sends a clear message,’ VanderSchel stated. ‘There is no place in society for those who traffic in the abuse of children.’ The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa, with no fine imposed due to the nature of the penalties already levied.