A Muscatine man was sentenced on April 7 to 15 years in federal prison for transportation of child pornography, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
The sentencing comes as part of ongoing efforts by law enforcement and federal prosecutors to address crimes involving child sexual exploitation. The case highlights continued collaboration between national and local agencies in investigating these offenses.
Court documents show that Clay Dereck Calkins, age 45, was identified after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received CyberTips about an account linked to him that had received and uploaded files containing child sexual abuse material. Law enforcement searched Calkins’ Muscatine residence in March 2023, seizing his phone. A forensic examination revealed he used the device to receive, view, and possess images and videos depicting child sexual abuse while he was on probation for a previous conviction related to child pornography from 2022 in Iowa District Court for Muscatine County.
Calkins will also be required to serve an eight-year term of supervised release following his imprisonment. There is no parole available in the federal system. Additionally, he has been ordered to pay $12,000 in restitution.
United States Attorney David C. Waterman announced the sentence. The Iowa Department of Public Safety-Division of Criminal Investigation-Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigated the case.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse online. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
