SIOUX CITY — A Northern Iowa man investigated by the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office and Charles City Police Department has been sentenced to 7½ years in federal prison after authorities found more than 1.6 million images of child pornography across 20 electronic devices.
Scott Devries, 57, of Hardy, was sentenced Thursday, September 11, 2026, by U.S. District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 90 months in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to one count of possession of child pornography.
Devries (pictured at top) entered his guilty plea on April 20.
Federal authorities said Devries possessed and received child pornography between January 2021 and August 2022, including material depicting prepubescent children and children younger than 12.
Law enforcement executing a search warrant discovered 20 electronic devices containing child sexual abuse material. A forensic examination ultimately uncovered more than 1.6 million images, according to federal prosecutors.
Some of the material depicted sadistic or masochistic abuse, including violent sexual torture of children and sexual abuse involving infants and toddlers.
When NorthIowaToday.com previously reported on Devries’ guilty plea, federal authorities said investigators had uncovered nearly one million images. The government’s sentencing announcement now places the total at more than 1.6 million.
In addition to the 90-month prison term, Strand ordered Devries to serve five years of supervised release after prison and pay $39,500 in restitution to victims.
There is no parole in the federal prison system.
Devries remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshal while awaiting transfer to a federal prison.
The prosecution was brought under Project Safe Childhood, the U.S. Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse and coordinate federal, state and local investigations.
NIT has continued to report on federal child-exploitation prosecutions across the region, including a recent case involving a repeat offender in Mason City who again admitted possessing illegal child sexual abuse material.
The Devries investigation was conducted by the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, Charles City Police Department and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kraig R. Hamit prosecuted the case.
I’d also slightly adjust the Yoast setup to match that local angle: