SIOUX CITY – A Northern Iowa man has entered a guilty plea to possession of child pornography and faces up to two decades in prison.
Leighton Marshal Jones, 41, from Spencer, Iowa, plead guilty in federal court on August 18, 2023, to Possession of Child Pornography.
At the plea hearing, Jones, admitted that he knowingly possessed and attempted to possess child pornography, including a depiction involving a prepubescent minor or a minor who had not attained 12 years of age.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Jones was taken into custody by the United States Marshal after the guilty plea and will remain in custody pending sentencing. Jones faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment without the possibility of parole, a $250,000 fine, and 5 years to life of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig Hamit and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations.