Marshalltown Man Sentenced to 210 Months in Prison for Transportation of Child Pornography

DES MOINES, IA – On February 19, 2015, John Vivian Sims, age 36, of Marshalltown, Iowa, was sentenced to 210 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, by United States District Court Senior Judge Robert W. Pratt for transportation of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Nicholas A. Klinefeldt.

Sims had been under investigation in the Summer of 2012 by local law enforcement for a string of burglaries committed in Marshalltown, Iowa. When Sims fled the area, the investigation into his whereabouts revealed he had used his cell phone to persuade four minors from Oregon, Texas, New Jersey, and Florida, respectively, to take nude photographs of themselves and send them to him via email. Sims was federally charged in May 2014 with three counts of production of child pornography and one count of transportation of child pornography. He pleaded guilty to the transportation charge in October of 2014.

Any persons having knowledge of a child being sexually abused, or of a person committing child pornography crimes, are encouraged to call the Iowa Sexual Abuse Hotline at 1-800-284-7821.

The investigation was conducted by the Marshalltown, Iowa, Police Department, and the case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

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