CEDAR RAPIDS – An Iowa man who sexually exploited children and possessed child pornography was sentenced April 27, 2026, to 25 years in federal prison.
Dawson Sanderson, age 24, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the sentence after a November 13, 2025, guilty plea to one count of sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child pornography. At the plea hearing, Sanderson admitted that, in 2021, he got minors to produce and send depictions of sexually explicit conduct to him. He also admitted he possessed child pornography. Information at the sentencing hearing showed that Sanderson used the Internet to attempt to persuade, induce, and entice four girls, and two of the girls sent him sexually explicit depictions of themselves.
Sanderson (pictured at top) was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Sanderson was sentenced to 300 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a ten-year term of supervised release after the prison term, and he must comply with all sex offender registration and public notification requirements.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Iowa State Patrol, and the Linn County Sheriff’s Office.
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.
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