Davenport,
Iowa – On February 5, 2020, United States District Court Chief Judge John A.
Jarvey, sentenced Ricki Charles Hess, age 55, of North Liberty, to 144 months
in prison for possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney
Marc Krickbaum. Hess was ordered to serve five years of supervised release
following his imprisonment, pay $9,000 in restitution and $100 to the Crime
Victims’ Fund, and to comply with sex offender registry requirements upon
release.
On
August 19, 2019, Hess pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography. The
investigation began in August 2017 when the North Liberty Police Department
received a cyber-tip from the Iowa Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task
force relating to Hess. Agents searched Hess’s residence and seized several
electronic devices. A forensic analysis was conducted on Hess’s HP computer, a
hard drive, and a cellular phone and it revealed numerous images of child
pornography. In excess of 160 video files and more than 30 images of child
pornography were found in Hess’ possession.
This
matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), with assistance
from the North Liberty Police Department and ICAC. The case was prosecuted by
the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
