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New Hartford Man Gets 11 Years for Child Pornography
A New Hartford, Iowa, man has been sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison for his role in a child pornography ring that spanned nearly two decades.
Robert Jene Smith, 57, of New Hartford, pleaded guilty on May 20, 2024, to one count of receipt of child pornography. According to court documents, Smith received and shared hundreds of images and videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct from 2004 through December 2021 using a file-sharing program.
During a search of his residence in December 2021, agents found over 7,500 images and more than 100 videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct on multiple devices. Smith was ordered to pay $32,000 in restitution to ten identified victims who were used to produce child pornography.
U.S. District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand sentenced Smith to 136 months’ imprisonment and fined him $1,000. He was also ordered to serve a five-year term of supervised release after his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative is led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.
Smith is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Reinert and investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Urbandale Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The case file number is 23-CR-03023, and court information can be found at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA for more updates on this case and other crime stories in the region.
Key Facts
- State: Iowa
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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