SIOUX CITY – A Northern Iowa man was nabbed by authorities after a cyber tip clued cops into his trove of despicable photos and videos lurking in his cell phone – some victimizing toddlers.
Kenneth Brown, 60, from Badger, Iowa, was convicted of one count of possession of child pornography, on July 22, 2025, in Sioux City federal court.
At the plea hearing, Brown admitted that from early May 2023, through April 3, 2024, he received and possessed child pornography. A CyberTip to law enforcement revealed 32 files of child pornography had been uploaded to the internet from Brown’s cell phone. During a forensic examination of Brown’s phone, 27 videos and 28 images of child pornography were found, some containing materials depicting sadistic and masochistic conduct as well as prepubescent children and toddlers.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Brown remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Brown faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release following any imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system.
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. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.
The case was investigated by the Webster County Sheriff’s Office and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit.