Jury Convicts Man from Coggon of Child Pornography Offenses

A man who received and possessed child pornography was convicted by a jury today, after a three-day trial in federal court in Cedar Rapids. Matthew Jason Manos, age 42, from Coggon, Iowa, was convicted of receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography, including a depiction of a prepubescent minor or a minor who had not attained 12 years of age. The verdict was returned this afternoon following about two and a half hours of jury deliberations.

The evidence at trial showed that in February 2023, law enforcement officers searched Manos's residence in Coggon and took his cell phone. Between December 2022 and February 2023, Manos had downloaded images of child pornography. He viewed the images on his cell phone multiple times. Manos then moved to Illinois, where he was arrested in August 2023. During his arrest, law enforcement officers took his new cell phone. Evidence showed that Manos had used that new phone to access child pornography. Manos was previously convicted of continuous sexual abuse of a child, lascivious acts with a child, lascivious conduct with a child, dissemination and exhibition of obscene material to minors, and indecent exposure.

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/pscLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link.. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/pscLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. and click on the tab "resources."

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Manos remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Manos faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years' imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 40 years' imprisonment, a $500,000 fine, and a lifetime term of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Devra T. Hake and Ashley Corkery and was investigated by the Linn County Sheriff's Office and the Cedar Rapids Police Department, with assistance by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.plLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link..

The case file number is 25-CR-14.

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