CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – Steven Risk, 38, of Independence, Iowa, will spend over two decades behind bars for trafficking in the most vulnerable victims imaginable. Risk was sentenced September 2, 2014, to 262 months – more than 21 years – in federal prison after pleading guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
The case, a grim example of the dark underbelly of the internet, revealed that between 2011 and 2013, Risk wasn’t just a passive collector of horrific material. He actively participated in its spread, trading child pornography with others online. Investigators uncovered a staggering digital hoard: over 30,000 images depicting the sexual abuse of children.
United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade delivered the sentence in Cedar Rapids, adding a $200 special assessment to the penalty and a mandatory 15-year term of supervised release following his incarceration. Risk will also be required to comply with all sex offender registration and public notification requirements – a small measure of accountability for a monstrous offense.
Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel led the prosecution, building the case with vital assistance from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The collaborative effort underscores the importance of multi-agency cooperation in tackling these types of crimes.
This prosecution falls under the umbrella of Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice. The project is designed to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, bringing together federal, state, and local resources to identify predators, rescue victims, and deliver justice. Information on Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.usdoj.gov/psc.
Court file information related to this case (CR 14-2010) is publicly available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and report on similar instances of depravity as they come to light. This is a chilling reminder of the predators lurking online and the devastating impact their actions have on innocent children.
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Key Facts
- State: Iowa
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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