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Anthony Girard, a 40-year-old from Sioux City, Iowa, has been sentenced to 97 months in federal prison for receiving and possessing child pornography. From September 2023 to January 13, 2025, Girard used file sharing services to exchange over 24,000 files, including depictions of infants and toddlers, as well as sadistic and masochistic conduct. Girard’s crime was discovered after agents connected his IP address to thousands of files of child pornography in 2023 and 2024.
Girard pleaded guilty to the charges on November 12, 2025, and was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. In addition to his prison sentence, Girard was ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution to the victims and $1,100 in fines and assessments. He will also serve a five-year term of supervised release.
The investigation into Girard’s activities was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. The project brings together federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children.
Girard’s sentence reflects the severity of his crime and the need to protect children from exploitation and abuse. His prior conviction in South Dakota state court for sexual contact without consent also factored into his sentencing. Girard remains in custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.