DAVENPORT, IA – On March 30, 2016, Thomas James McLaughlin, 48, of Mediapolis, Iowa, was sentenced by Chief United States District Court Judge John A. Jarvey to 84 months in prison for receiving child pornography, announced Acting United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Hansen was ordered to serve ten years of supervised release following his prison term, comply with the sex offender registry requirement in the state he lives, and to pay $100 towards the Crime Victims’ Fund. McLaughlin was also ordered to forfeit the electronic devices involved in the offense.
McLaughlin pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography on October 26, 2015. According to the plea agreement, on August 10, 2014, a search warrant was executed at McLaughlin’s Mediapolis residence and electronic devices were seized. A forensic examination of those devices concluded there were 5,251 images and 271 videos containing minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct dating from May 2013 through July 2014.
This matter was investigated by the Des Moines County Sheriff’s Department, Iowa Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Cyber-Crime Unit. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa as part of the Project Safe Childhood initiative.