Mason City man charged with receipt and possession of child pornography

CEDAR RAPIDS – A Mason City man has been charged with receipt and possession of child pornography and is now behind bars.

Jeffery Landheer, age 46, of Mason City, Iowa, has been charged with one count of receipt of child pornography and six counts of possession of child pornography. The charges are contained in an Indictment unsealed on March 2, 2017, in United States District Court in Cedar Rapids.

The Indictment alleges that, between 2002 and 2016, Landheer received child pornography. The Indictment also alleges that he possessed child pornography on six different devices.

If convicted, Landheer faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 140 years’ imprisonment, a $1,750,000 fine, $25,700 in special assessments, and at least 5 years and up to life on supervised release following any imprisonment.

Landheer appeared for a detention hearing today in federal court in Cedar Rapids, and the court ordered his release on bond. Landheer’s next appearance for trial is set for May 1, 2017.

As with any criminal case, a charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel and is being investigated by the Mason City Police Department.

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.