News : Belle Plaine man faces federal child porn charges

James Byers, age 56, from Belle Plaine, has been charged with three child pornography offenses. T­he charges are contained in an Indictment unsealed Oct.11, 2011, in United States District Court in Cedar Rapids. ­

The Indictment alleges that, between May 2007 and February 2009, Byers knowingly distributed child pornography, received child pornography, and possessed a computer containing child pornography.

If convicted, Byers faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 50 years’ imprisonment, $750,000 in fines, $300 in special assessments, and at least 5 years and up to life on supervised release following any imprisonment.­

Byers appeared on Oct. 13, 2011, for a detention hearing in federal court in Cedar Rapids and was held without bond. Byers’ next appearance for trial is set for Dec. 12, 2011.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Belle Plaine Police Department.

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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.