Hawkeye Reporter

A Dubuque man has been sentenced to 42 years in federal prison for sexually exploiting a child and distributing child pornography. John James Dixon, aged 41, received the sentence following his guilty plea on January 22, 2025, to charges of sexual exploitation of a child and distribution of child pornography.

Evidence presented during the sentencing hearing revealed that between August 2023 and May 2024, Dixon and co-conspirator Justin James Paisley engaged in sexual acts with a prepubescent child. They documented these acts through photographs and videos and exchanged the images via text messages. Additionally, Paisley photographed another prepubescent child in sexually explicit conduct and shared this photograph with Dixon.

United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams sentenced Dixon in Cedar Rapids to 504 months' imprisonment. He was also ordered to pay $6,000 in special assessments and will serve a five-year term of supervised release following his prison term. In the federal system, there is no provision for parole.

This case was part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative brings together resources from federal, state, and local agencies to prosecute offenders who exploit children while identifying and rescuing victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.usdoj.gov/psc.

Dixon remains in the custody of the United States Marshal's Service pending transfer to a federal prison.

Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Dubuque Police Department.