An Iowa City resident, Heath Ashley Harmon, 49, has been sentenced to 132 months in federal prison for the receipt of child pornography. According to court documents and evidence presented during sentencing, Harmon received, uploaded, and distributed files containing child sexual abuse material.
Law enforcement began investigating after detecting Harmon's distribution of child pornography over the BitTorrent network between August 2023 and January 2024. A search warrant executed at Harmon's residence led to the seizure of several electronic devices. Forensic analysis revealed that seven devices—including a laptop, two phones, SD cards, and other storage media—contained child pornography.
Upon completion of his prison sentence, Harmon will be subject to an eight-year term of supervised release. Federal law does not allow parole. In addition to imprisonment and supervision, Harmon was ordered to pay $35,000 in restitution.
The investigation was conducted by the Johnson County Joint Forensic Analysis Cyber Team. United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa announced the sentence.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local agencies. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
