SIOUX CITY — A Northern Iowa man is facing the possibility of decades behind bars after pleading guilty in federal court to possessing child pornography, including material involving very young children.
Scott Devries, 57, of Hardy, Iowa, pleaded guilty April 20, 2026, in U.S. District Court in Sioux City to one count of possession of child pornography.
At his plea hearing, Devries admitted that between January 2021 and August 2022, he possessed and received visual depictions of child pornography. Federal prosecutors said the material included prepubescent minors and children under the age of 12.
The case unfolded after law enforcement executed a search warrant and discovered 20 electronic devices containing child sexual abuse material. A forensic review of the devices found nearly one million images of child pornography, prosecutors said. Some of the material involved sadistic or masochistic conduct, as well as infants and toddlers.
Devries remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending sentencing.
Sentencing will be scheduled after a presentence investigation report is completed. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine and at least five years of supervised release following any prison term.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide U.S. Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
The case was investigated by the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, Charles City Police Department and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kraig R. Hamit is prosecuting the case.