James Sumner Convicted

A jury has convicted James Sumner, a 49-year-old man from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on charges of child pornography. Sumner was found guilty of one count of receipt of child pornography and three counts of possession of child pornography after a four-day trial in federal court.

The evidence presented at trial showed that Sumner used the internet to download child pornography between 2007 and 2008. Additionally, it was shown that he possessed child pornography on CDs at his residence in Cedar Rapids between 2007 and 2011.

The verdict was returned after approximately six hours and thirty minutes of jury deliberations. Sumner was taken into custody by the United States Marshal following the verdict and will remain in custody pending sentencing.

Sumner faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of fifty years’ imprisonment, $1,000,000 in fines, $400 in special assessments, and at least five years and up to life on supervised release following any imprisonment. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel and was investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department. The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Project Safe Childhood aims to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl, with the case file number CR 12-92.

The conviction of James Sumner serves as a reminder of the importance of efforts to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. The Department of Justice and law enforcement agencies across the country continue to work tirelessly to protect children and hold offenders accountable for their crimes.