Dubuque Resident Buss Sentenced for Child Pornography Distribution

GRIMY NEWS ALERT: A Dubuque man has been hit with a 20-year federal prison sentence for distributing child pornography and attempting to entice minors.

Robert Buss, aged 50, pleaded guilty on January 9, 2014, to distributing the vile material. According to court documents, Buss used the Internet to distribute child porn in 2012.

The defendant didn’t stop there; he also tried to lure three minors into sending him sexually explicit images of themselves. His sickening actions were uncovered during a mission trip to Haiti, where he met one of the minors.

Buss was sentenced by Chief Judge Linda R. Reade in Cedar Rapids, receiving 240 months behind bars. He must pay a $100 special assessment and serve a ten-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison.

The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations, the Dubuque Police Department, and the Iowa Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel prosecuted this case.

This sentence is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide effort to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information on Internet safety education, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.