(NIT photo)
CEDAR RAPIDS — A Northern Iowa man caught with hundreds of images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, including material involving infants and sadistic conduct, is headed to federal prison for more than seven years.
Anthony Paul Harden, 48, of Rockford, was sentenced to 90 months in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to receipt of child pornography.
Federal authorities said the case unfolded in August 2025 when law enforcement officers searched Harden’s Rockford home and seized four electronic devices containing child pornography.
Hundreds of illegal images and videos
Evidence presented during court proceedings showed Harden received and possessed hundreds of images and videos of child pornography between May 2023 and July 2025.
Federal prosecutors said some of the material depicted infants and included sadistic and masochistic conduct.
Investigators also determined Harden distributed child pornography to undercover law enforcement computers.
Harden pleaded guilty February 23, 2026, to one count of receipt of child pornography. NorthIowaToday.com reported on Harden’s guilty plea and the disturbing evidence in the case earlier this year, when he faced sentencing in federal court.
More than seven years behind bars
U.S. District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams sentenced Harden to 90 months, or 7½ years, in federal prison.
Harden (pictured at top) was also ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution to a victim.
After completing his prison sentence, he must serve another five years under federal supervised release.
There is no parole in the federal prison system.
Harden remains in the custody of the United States Marshal while awaiting transportation to a federal prison.
Northern Iowa cases continue to land in federal court
Harden’s sentence comes amid several other major child-exploitation prosecutions involving Northern Iowa defendants.
In September, NIT reported on a Hardy man sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison after investigators discovered more than 1.6 million child pornography images.
FBI and Floyd County Sheriff investigated
Harden’s prosecution was brought under Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide U.S. Department of Justice initiative targeting child sexual exploitation and abuse.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Devra T. Hake prosecuted the case.