Davenport Man Sentenced to Prison for Receiving Child Pornography

DAVENPORT, IA – On January 23, 2017, Jacob Scott Watters, 24, of Davenport, Iowa, was sentenced by Chief United States District Court Judge John A. Jarvey to 240 months in prison for receipt of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Watters was ordered to serve ten years of supervised release following his prison term and to pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund.

Watters pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography on August 25, 2016. According to the plea agreement, on August 18, 2014, Davenport Police Department was notified of an investigation in Merced County, California, that concluded Watters was engaging in sexual chats and sending and receiving nude pictures with a 15-year-old female. A search warrant executed at Watters’ residence led to the recovery of multiple electronic devices.

During the examination of the recovered devices, it was determined Watters was communicating with six other minor females, many of whom with he was having sexual conversations and exchanging pornographic pictures. At the time of the communications, Watters was a registered sex offender and on state probation for lascivious acts with a minor.

This matter was investigated by the Davenport Police Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa as part of the Project Safe Childhood Initiative.

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Learn more about this release by contacting Rachel Scherle at 515-473-9300, or by emailing her at Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov