Sioux City Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Pornography

Andrew Gross, 42, from Sioux City, Iowa, pled guilty September 11, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City. Gross was convicted of possessing child pornography.

At the plea hearing, Gross admitted that between April 1, 2024, and May 14, 2024, he engaged in the receipt and possession of child pornography. Sioux City Police received a report from the parents of a 15-year-old regarding conversations Gross was having with their child that were sexual in nature. Further investigation revealed that Gross and the minor victim discussed sexually explicit messages which also contained photographs of the minor victim. Gross also admitted to possessing other images and videos of child pornography. In 2021, Gross had been convicted of offenses relating to aggravated sexual abuse involving a minor in Minnesota.

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Gross remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Gross faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years' imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 20 years' imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

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 https://www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit https://www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."

The case was investigated by Sioux City Police Department and the South Sioux City Police Department and is being 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 25-4021. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.