CEDAR RAPIDS – An Iowa man who distributed child pornography pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids.
Scott Ristine, age 40, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was convicted of one count of distribution of child pornography. At the plea hearing, Ristine admitted that, in 2015, he knowingly distributed child pornography. He also admitted that he was convicted of receipt of child pornography in the Northern District of Iowa in 2002.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Ristine remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Ristine faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, $5,100 in special assessments, and supervised release for 5 years to life following any imprisonment.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel and was investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.
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.
