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, has entered a guilty plea in federal court in Cedar Rapids for charges related to distributing and possessing child pornography. According to the plea agreement, Yang acknowledged that he distributed child pornography in March 2024 and stored such material on his phone and computer. The content included depictions involving an infant or toddler.
This legal action is part of Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at addressing child sexual exploitation and abuse. Launched in May 2006, this program combines resources from federal, state, and local levels to locate offenders and rescue victims. More information about the project can be found at www.usdoj.gov/psc.
Yang's sentencing will occur before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams after a presentence report is completed. Until then, Yang remains under the custody of the United States Marshal. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years imprisonment with a potential maximum of forty years. Additionally, there are fines up to $250,000, special assessments totaling $62,200, and the possibility of lifetime supervised release post-imprisonment.
Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake is prosecuting the case which was investigated by multiple 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.
