Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
Daniel Kaler, a 38-year-old resident of Sioux City, Iowa, has been sentenced to 64 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to possessing child pornography. The sentencing took place on January 16, 2026, following his guilty plea entered on September 8, 2025.
According to evidence presented during the plea and sentencing hearings, Kaler possessed and received more than 7,000 images and videos depicting child pornography between November 2023 and October 2024. The material included depictions of sadistic or masochistic conduct involving prepubescent children, infants, and toddlers.
The investigation began when Verizon’s cloud storage service submitted a CyberTip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. This tip linked downloads of child pornography to Kaler’s account. Law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Kaler’s electronic devices. Analysis revealed that he used third-party web browsers "Brave" and "Yandex" to search for and download illegal content.
United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand presided over the sentencing hearing. In addition to the prison term, Kaler was ordered to serve five years of supervised release upon completion of his sentence and pay $6,600 in fines and restitution. He remains in custody with the United States Marshal pending transfer to a federal facility. There is no parole available in the federal system.
The case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood—a Department of Justice initiative started in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation by coordinating efforts among federal, state, and local agencies.
"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," according to information provided by authorities. "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 further details about Project Safe Childhood or Internet safety education resources visit www.usdoj.gov/pscLinks.
