Sioux City Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possession of Child Pornography

Braden Rogers, age 23, from Sioux City, Iowa, received the prison term after he plead guilty in federal court on March 22, 2023, to Possession of Child Pornography.

Evidence at Rogers’ sentencing hearing established that between May 1, 2020, and August 10, 2021, Rogers possessed over 100 videos of child sexual abuse material including material depicting prepubescent children or children who had not attained the age of 12.  Evidence further established that Rogers used social media to distribute material that portrayed sadistic or masochistic conduct or sexual abuse and exploitation of an infant or toddler to others.

Rogers was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand to 66 months’ imprisonment and fined $500.  He was also ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution to the victims.  Rogers must also serve a 5-year term of supervised released following the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Rogers is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit and investigated by the Iowa Division of Inspections & Appeals, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Sioux City Police Department, The Drug Enforcement Administration, Iowa Medicaid Fraud Unit, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 23-CR-04020.

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