(NIT photo)
CEDAR RAPIDS — A Northern Iowa man who downloaded hundreds of images and videos of child sexual abuse material was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, after pleading guilty to a federal child pornography charge.
Damon Wesley Powers, 44, of Osage, received the 144-month prison sentence from U.S. District Judge Leonard T. Strand in Cedar Rapids. Powers pleaded guilty July 1, 2026, to one count of receiving child pornography.
The judge also ordered Powers to pay $24,350 in special assessments and restitution to victims. After serving his prison sentence, Powers must complete five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal prison system.
Search of Osage home uncovered hundreds of images
Federal prosecutors said law enforcement searched Powers’ Osage home in June 2025 and discovered child sexual abuse material on his phone, including depictions of prepubescent children. Investigators found hundreds of additional photographs and videos stored in a cloud-based account.
During an interview, Powers admitted that he had sent and received child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa.
As NorthIowaToday.com previously reported in January, Powers had been arrested following an Osage police investigation and initially faced state charges involving sexual depictions of minors.
Guilty plea preceded federal sentence
In July, NIT reported on Powers’ federal guilty plea and the mandatory prison term associated with the charge. The November 4 sentencing imposed 12 years in prison along with the restitution and supervised-release requirements.
The federal announcement did not provide an update on the disposition of the earlier state charges.
Powers remains in U.S. Marshals Service custody until he can be transported to a federal prison, prosecutors said.
Project Safe Childhood prosecution
Assistant U.S. Attorney Devra T. Hake prosecuted the case. The investigation involved the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Cyber Crime Bureau, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Osage Police Department.
The prosecution was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation, identify and rescue victims, and prosecute those who exploit children online.
The case was handled in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa under case number 26-CR-2015.