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A Cedar Rapids man was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for sexually exploiting children and possessing child pornography. Dawson Sanderson, 24, was sentenced in U.S. District Court by Judge C.J. Williams on April 27, 2026.
According to court records, Sanderson used the internet to try to persuade, induce, and entice four girls to send him sexually explicit depictions of themselves in 2021. Two of the girls complied, sending him explicit images.
Sanderson pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child pornography on November 13, 2025. He will serve 10 years of supervised release after his prison term and must comply with sex offender registration and public notification requirements.
The case was investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Iowa State Patrol, and the Linn County Sheriff’s Office. It was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child sex exploitation and abuse.
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