Sioux City Man Sentenced to More Than Five Years in Federal Prison for Child Pornography Offenses

On April 7, 2026, Ry Tyler, 36, from Sioux City, Iowa, was sentenced to federal prison after a November 24, 2025, guilty plea to one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography, in federal court in Sioux City.

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that in January 2025, law enforcement received a report that Tyler was accessing child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) on Russian websites. Tyler appeared on a podcast for sex addicts where he expressed a sexual interest in children and persistent thoughts of children in sexual situations. Tyler admitted to recently deleting images off his computer and told law enforcement the images would be considered "appalling." A search of Tyler's electronics revealed child pornography, child erotica, and child pornography search terms. A forensic examination of Tyler's electronic devices revealed over 2,100 images and 5 videos of child pornography. The videos and images included infants and toddlers as well as sadistic and masochistic conduct.

United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand sentenced Tyler to 66 months' imprisonment along with a 5-year term of supervised release after release from prison. There is no parole in the federal system. Tyler remains in custody of the U.S. Marshals Service until he can be transported to a federal prison.

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."

The case was investigated by the Sioux City Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit.

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 25-4025. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.