Scott Devries, 57, from Hardy, Iowa, was sentenced in federal court in Sioux City on September 11, 2026, to 90 months’ imprisonment. Devries pled guilty April 20, 2026, to one count of possession of child pornography.Evidence at the hearings showed that between January 2021 and August 2022, Devries possessed and received visual depictions of child pornography, which included prepubescent minors or a minor under the age of 12. While executing a search warrant, law enforcement discovered 20 electronic devices that contained child sexual abuse material. Forensic analysis of the devices found over 1.6 million images of child pornography, some of which involved material that portrayed sadistic or masochistic conduct including the violent sexual torture of children as well as the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand sentenced Devries to 90 months’ imprisonment and 5 years’ of supervised release following his imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. Devries must also pay restitution in the amount of $39,500 to the victims in the case. Devries remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison. The case was investigated by Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, Charles City Police Department, and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit.Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 25-3060. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice