Friday, January 08, 2021

Man Who Solicited “Nudes” of Children Online Sentenced to Federal Prison

 A man who possessed photographs and at least six videos containing child pornography, and who communicated with others online in an attempt to obtain additional nude photographs of children, was sentenced today to more than 15 years in federal prison.

Dustin Herhold, age 27, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after an August 6, 2020 guilty plea to the attempted sexual exploitation of a child.

In a plea agreement, Herhold admitted that between September 20, 2019, and October 1, 2019, he used a chat application to request nude photos of a twelve-year old child.  He also admitted to possessing nude photographs of children on a tablet.    

Herhold was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Herhold was sentenced to 188 months’ imprisonment and fined $100.  He must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term and register as a sex offender.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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.”         

Herhold is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Liz Dupuich and investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). 

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