Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
A Prairieburg, Iowa man has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for sexually exploiting at least six children. Bryce Hans Plower, 37, was sentenced on October 1, 2025, after pleading guilty earlier this year to charges of sexual exploitation of children and possession of child pornography.
According to court documents and statements made during sentencing, Plower used Snapchat, Instagram, and text messages between 2014 and 2024 to persuade minors—some as young as 12—to send him sexually explicit images and videos. In several cases, he paid the children small amounts of money, sometimes as little as $1, in exchange for the images. Authorities also found that Plower possessed child pornography on his phone depicting prepubescent children and acts involving sadistic or masochistic conduct.
Chief Judge C.J. Williams handed down the sentence in Cedar Rapids. In addition to the prison term of 480 months, Plower was ordered to pay $6,000 in restitution to victims and will serve a five-year term of supervised release following his incarceration. Federal law does not allow parole.
"This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab 'resources.'"
Plower remains in custody with the United States Marshals Service until he is transferred to a federal prison facility.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake prosecuted the case.
