Man sentenced to federal prison for receipt of child pornography

A Washington County, IA man was sentenced to more than 17 years in federal prison for Receipt of Child Pornography. Christopher Michael Wilson, age 45, was sentenced on June 1 to 210 months in prison for the charge. He was ordered to serve fifteen years of supervised release to follow his prison term and pay $3,000 in restitution to his victims. Wilson was also assessed a $100 Special Assessment immediately payable to the Crime Victims’ Fund.

According to court documents, the investigation began when law enforcement received a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The cybertip indicated that files suspected to be child pornography were uploaded from specific IP addresses. A phone number included with the tip traced back to Wilson. During the execution of a search warrant at Wilson’s known residence, multiple electronic devices were seized, containing images and videos of child pornography. On January 20, 2022, Wilson pleaded guilty to the charge. U.S. Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Washington County Sheriff’s Department and prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa. It was prosecuted as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Childhood” initiative, which was started in 2006 as a nation-wide effort to combine law enforcement investigations and prosecutions, community action, and public awareness in order to reduce the incidence of sexual exploitation of children.

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