SIOUX CITY – An Iowa man with a previous sex offense against a child has been caught with despicable images of toddlers and other young children engaging in sadistic or masochistic conduct and is guilty of possessing child pornography.
Anthony Michael Tucker, 36, from Sioux City, Iowa, was convicted by a jury of Receipt of Child Pornography and Possession of Child Pornography. The verdict was returned Tuesday afternoon following one day of testimony and about three and half hours of jury deliberations.
The evidence at trial showed that in January 2022, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a Cybertip from Google that accounts belonging to Tucker contained over 90 images and three videos of child sexual abuse material. Evidence showed these depictions included images displaying sadistic or masochistic conduct as well as prepubescent children and toddlers. Jurors watched a video-recorded interview of Tucker speaking with an Iowa DCI agent where he admitted he was responsible for the content on the Google account and stated, “there’s more that I run across. . . those were just the ones I kept.” Evidence also showed Tucker has a prior conviction for Lascivious Acts with a Child from 2010 where Tucker, then 21, had sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old female.
United States Attorney Timothy Duax cited the excellent work done by the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation in this case. “Starting with just a cybertip, law enforcement, through skill and hard work, was able to locate the defendant and interrupt his exploitive activities. As a result, a dangerous and repetitive child predator is off the streets for a significant period of time.”
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Tucker remains in the custody of the United States Marshal after the verdict was returned and will remain in custody pending sentencing. Due to his prior sex offense, Tucker faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and a term of supervised release of 5 years to life following any imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was investigated by the Iowa Department of Public Safety, Division of Criminal Investigation, Cyber Crime Bureau, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit.
