Iowa Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Distribution

Independence, IA – A shocking case of child pornography has reached its climax as Steven Risk, a 38-year-old man from Independence, Iowa, entered a guilty plea in federal court on May 9, 2014.

Risk was convicted on one count of distribution and one count of possession of child pornography. He confessed to distributing the explicit material between June 2011 and February 2013, and admitted to possessing it from October 2012 to February 2013, including images of prepubescent children.

The sentencing hearing before Chief Judge Linda R. Reade is pending after a presentence report has been completed. Risk remains in custody under the United States Marshal’s supervision. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a potential maximum of forty years imprisonment, alongside a $500,000 fine, a special assessment of $200, and up to life on supervised release following his prison term.

Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel is leading the prosecution against Risk, who was investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case falls under Project Safe Childhood, a Justice Department initiative since 2006 aimed at tackling child sexual exploitation.

For further information on Project Safe Childhood and resources for internet safety education, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.

Court file details can be accessed at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl with the case number CR 14-2010.

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