Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
A second man has entered a guilty plea in federal court in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, related to charges of child sexual exploitation. John James Dixon, 41, from Dubuque, Iowa, admitted guilt on charges of sexual exploitation of a child and distribution of child pornography.
During the plea hearing, Dixon acknowledged that between September 2023 and May 2024, he engaged in conduct involving the use and persuasion of a minor under 18 for sexually explicit activities. He also confessed to distributing visual depictions of minors involved in such conduct during the same period.
Previously, on December 18, 2024, Justin James Paisley, aged 35 and also from Dubuque, pled guilty to similar charges. At his hearing, Paisley admitted to exploiting minors for sexually explicit acts between spring 2022 and May 2024. He also distributed visual depictions involving minors from August 2023 to May 2024.
The case is part of Project Safe Childhood. This initiative was launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to tackle child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide. It involves collaboration among federal, state, and local resources aimed at apprehending offenders and rescuing victims. Further details about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.usdoj.gov/psc.
Sentencing for both Dixon and Paisley will be scheduled after presentence reports are completed. They remain detained by U.S. Marshals until sentencing. Each faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years' imprisonment with potential maximum penalties including up to 50 years’ imprisonment, fines totaling $500,000, special assessments amounting to $95,200, and lifetime supervised release post-imprisonment.
Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake is prosecuting this case following an investigation by the Dubuque Police Department.
