A Council Bluffs resident, David Michael Morse, was sentenced on July 24, 2025, to 180 months in federal prison after being convicted of receiving child pornography and possessing a firearm as a felon.
Court documents indicate that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a CyberTip linking an account to Morse. The tip revealed that Morse’s account had received and uploaded images containing child sexual abuse material. Authorities executed a search warrant at Morse’s residence in Council Bluffs, where they seized electronics—including a cellular phone—and firearms. A forensic review of the phone confirmed that Morse used it to receive images and videos depicting child sexual abuse.
Following his prison sentence, Morse will be subject to five years of supervised release. Federal sentencing does not allow for parole. In addition, he has been ordered to pay $9,000 in restitution.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa announced the sentence. The investigation involved multiple agencies: the Iowa Department of Public Safety – Cyber Crime Bureau; Council Bluffs Police Department; Iowa State Patrol; Federal Bureau of Investigation-Child Exploitation Task Force; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Task Force.
The prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative started by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation online. The program brings together federal, state, and local resources to locate offenders who exploit children over the internet and identify victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
