Mason City Man Pleads Guilty to Child Exploitation and Gun Crimes

A man who sexually exploited children, possessed child pornography, and possessed a stolen firearm pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids.

Parker Jon Thompson, age 20, from Mason City, Iowa, was convicted of sexual exploitation of children, possession of child pornography, and possession of a stolen firearm.

Evidence at a prior court hearing demonstrated that in June 2025, Thompson helped his friends plan a burglary at a gun shop in Mason City. His friends stole several guns and gave at least two of the guns to Thompson. Law enforcement officers searched Thompson's phone while investigating the burglary. Officers found child pornography on the phone. Additional investigation revealed that Thompson recorded multiple children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Thompson also asked a child to send him depictions of the child engaging in sex acts.

At a plea hearing, Thompson admitted that between March 2024 and September 2025, he used, persuaded, induced, and enticed minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of such conduct. Between June 2024 and April 2025, Thompson possessed depictions of child pornography. In June 2025, Thompson possessed a stolen firearm.

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."

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Thompson remains in custody of the United States Marshal. Thompson faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years' imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 50 years' imprisonment, a $750,000 fine, $77,300 in special assessments, and a lifetime term of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Devra T. Hake and Kyndra Lundquist and was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Mason City Police Department, the Cerro Gordo Sheriff's Office, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.

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 numbers are 25-CR-2054 and 26-CR-3011.

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