Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
A Tripoli, Iowa man has been sentenced to more than 38 years in federal prison for child exploitation offenses. Austin Kingsbury, 24, pleaded guilty on June 20, 2025, to distribution and possession of child pornography.
According to evidence presented at sentencing, Kingsbury sexually abused three children over several years. He also photographed himself abusing one of the victims. In May 2023, Kingsbury distributed child pornography to multiple individuals and downloaded additional illegal material between August 2022 and June 2023.
United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams sentenced Kingsbury in Cedar Rapids to a term of imprisonment totaling 460 months and 22 days. The court also ordered him to pay $18,000 in restitution to the victims and imposed a five-year supervised release period following his incarceration. There is no parole available in the federal system.
The case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative started by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at addressing child sexual exploitation nationwide. The program coordinates efforts among federal, state, and local agencies to investigate and prosecute offenders while identifying and assisting victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.usdoj.gov/psc.
Kingsbury will remain in United States Marshal’s custody until he is transferred to a federal prison facility.
Assistant United States Attorneys Devra T. Hake and Dillan Edwards prosecuted the case. The investigation involved multiple agencies including the Department of Homeland Security; Tripoli Police Department; Bremer County Sheriff’s Office; Cedar Rapids Police Department; Anchorage Police Department; and Alaska State Troopers Technical Crimes Unit.
