Iowa City Man Sentenced to 180 Months in Federal Prison for Child Pornography Charges

DAVENPORT, Iowa – An Iowa City man was sentenced on Thursday, February 1, 2024, to 180 months in federal prison for Receipt or Distribution of Child Pornography.

According to public court documents presented at the time of the plea hearing, Michael Joseph Schmidt, 27, was identified by the Johnson County, Iowa Sheriff’s Office Joint Forensic Analysis Cyber Team (JFACT) for uploading child sexual abuse material to Kik. In April 2022, agents executed a search warrant on Schmidt’s residence. Multiple electronic devices were located at Schmidt’s residence that contained numerous images of child sexual abuse material.

After completing his term of imprisonment, Schmidt is required to serve five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Schmidt was also ordered to pay $6,000 in restitution.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by JFACT.

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