SIOUX CITY – A Northern Iowa man will spend a quarter-century behind bars after he harassed and coerced minors online to send him nudes and other explicit materials.
Bryan Ross, 26, from Ellsworth, Iowa, was sentenced April 28, 2023, to 25 years in federal prison for Producing and Distributing Child Pornography.
At the hearing, evidence established that between July 2019, and February 2022, Ross knowingly harassed and coerced minors online via Facebook and Snapchat to take sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves to send to him. Evidence further established that Ross received and attempted to receive visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and distributed them to others online.
Ross was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand to 300 months’ imprisonment and fined $1,000. Ross was also ordered to pay $18,649 in restitution to the victims. Ross must also serve an 8-year term of supervised released following the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was investigated by Department of Homeland Security and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit.
