Northern Iowa man who took sexually explicit photos of child sent to prison for decades, says he’s “excited” to go

SIOUX CITY – A Northern Iowa man who took sexually explicit photographs of a thirteen-year-old victim and distributed the photographs to an undercover officer online, was sentenced to more than 29 years in federal prison.

Joshua Baird, age 40, from Anthon, Iowa, received the prison term after a guilty plea to sexual exploitation of a child.

At the guilty plea, Baird admitted that, in February of 2021, he knowingly photographed a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct with his cellular telephone. Evidence at the sentencing hearing showed he later distributed these photographs to an undercover officer online because he thought they would “impress” her. Baird also engaged in an inappropriate online relationship with a teenager in Australia. At the sentencing hearing, Baird referred to his sentence as a “court ordered spiritual retreat” and further stated he was “excited” to be in prison.

Baird was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Baird was sentenced to 354 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

Baird is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Liz Dupuich and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.