A 51-year-old man from Marion, Iowa, has pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography, a federal crime.
Gordon Grabau, a former volunteer Linn County reserve deputy sheriff, was convicted of one count of receiving child pornography on July 17, 2021.
Between December 2014 and June 2021, Grabau knowingly received and attempted to receive visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, according to a plea agreement.
On July 1, 2021, law enforcement officers searched Grabau’s home in Marion and seized numerous digital storage devices, including hard drives and thumb drives. An examination of the devices revealed over 160,000 files containing child pornography spread across five devices.
The material discovered included images portraying both sadistic and masochistic conduct, as well as children under the age of 12, including infants and toddlers.
Grabau served as a volunteer reserve deputy sheriff in Linn County since 2000 but was suspended and later resigned his position on July 17, 2021.
Grabau faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a maximum penalty of not more than 20 years’ imprisonment without the possibility of parole. He also faces a fine of not more than $250,000 and a mandatory special assessment of $100.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Morfitt and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the Marion Police Department.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Gordon Grabau remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.
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Key Facts
- State: Iowa
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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