Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
Jacob Samuel Yang, a 36-year-old resident of Tama, Iowa, faces federal charges related to child pornography. The indictment, filed on March 18, 2025, in the United States District Court in Cedar Rapids, includes four counts against Yang.
The indictment accuses Yang of distributing child pornography in March 2024 and receiving such material between September 2019 and February 2025. It also alleges possession of child pornography on a hard drive during the same period and on a cellular phone between March and April 2024.
If found guilty on all counts, Yang could face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to eighty years in prison. Additionally, he may incur fines totaling $1 million and be subjected to lifetime supervised release after serving his sentence.
Yang appeared today in federal court in Cedar Rapids where he was denied bond. His trial is scheduled for May 27, 2025.
As with any criminal proceeding, it is important to note that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant remains presumed innocent until proven guilty.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse. The project involves collaboration among federal, state, and local agencies to prosecute offenders and rescue victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.usdoj.gov/psc.
Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake is prosecuting this case following investigations conducted by several law enforcement agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), Tama County Sheriff’s Office, Tama Police Department, and Marshalltown Police Department.
