Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
A Prairieburg man, Bryce Hans Plower, has entered a guilty plea in federal court in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on charges of sexual exploitation of children and possession of child pornography. Plower, aged 37, utilized platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram, and text messaging to persuade minors to engage in explicit conduct and provide him with photos and videos of such activities.
In the plea deal, Plower acknowledged that he convinced multiple minors to send him explicit images and videos. This involved at least two children under 16 years old. To continue receiving images, Plower provided payments to the minors, sometimes as little as $1. Additionally, Plower was found to possess photos and videos on his phone depicting child pornography, including images of sadistic or masochistic conduct.
This legal action is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to tackle child sexual exploitation and abuse. The project coordinates efforts from federal, state, and local resources to find, arrest, and prosecute individuals preying on children and rescue victims. Further information about Project Safe Childhood and Internet safety education is available at the Department of Justice's website.
Plower's sentencing will be scheduled following the preparation of a presentence report by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams, with Plower currently under the custody of the United States Marshal. He is facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a possible maximum sentence of 50 years, alongside significant fines and special assessments, as well as a life of supervised release post-imprisonment.
Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake is handling the prosecution of this case, with investigative support from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.
