Wisconsin Man Pleads Guilty to Child Sex Exploitation

Christopher Heath-Lowther, 30, of Platteville, Wisconsin, has admitted his guilt in federal court in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for transporting a minor across state lines with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. The grim admission came on November 3, 2014, marking a significant victory in the ongoing battle against child sex exploitation.

Heath-Lowther’s guilty plea involves two counts: transporting a minor across a state line to engage in criminal sexual activity and traveling across a state line for illicit sexual conduct. The charges stem from a disturbing period between December 2013 and February 2014, during which Heath-Lowther traveled from Wisconsin to Iowa with the sole purpose of engaging in illegal sex acts.

The sentencing phase is now set to begin, following the preparation of a presentence report. Heath-Lowther has been remanded into custody by the United States Marshal pending his sentencing hearing. The defendant faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years’ imprisonment, with a potential life sentence hanging in the balance. A financial penalty of $500,000 and a special assessment of $200 are also on the table, along with supervised release lasting at least five years to potentially a lifetime.

Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel is handling the prosecution of this case, which was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Platteville, Wisconsin, Police Department, and the Maquoketa Police Department. This case falls under Project Safe Childhood, a justice department initiative launched to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.

For more information on Project Safe Childhood or for resources on internet safety education, visitors can visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. The court file for this case is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl, with the case number CR 14-1014.

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