U.S. Attorney Timothy Duax | U.S. Department of Justice
A New Hartford, Iowa man has been sentenced to over 11 years in federal prison for child pornography charges. Robert Jene Smith, 57, was sentenced on December 17, 2024, following a guilty plea earlier this year.
Smith admitted to receiving and distributing child pornography from 2004 until authorities searched his home in December 2021. During the search, agents discovered more than 7,500 images and over 100 videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct on multiple devices.
The sentencing took place in Cedar Rapids under United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Smith received a sentence of 136 months imprisonment and was fined $1,000. He is also required to pay $32,000 in restitution to ten identified victims involved in the production of child pornography and $15,100 in special assessments. After serving his prison term, Smith will undergo a five-year supervised release period as there is no parole available within the federal system.
This case falls under Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse. The program involves collaboration among federal, state, and local resources to prosecute offenders and rescue victims.
Currently held by the United States Marshal's Service pending transfer to a federal prison facility, Smith's prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick J. Reinert with investigative efforts led by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation alongside the Urbandale Police Department and the FBI.
