Hawkeye Reporter

A man from Asbury, Iowa, has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison for distributing child pornography. Christopher Charles Smith, aged 34, was sentenced on June 30, 2025, following his guilty plea on January 3, 2025.

Smith admitted to using a messaging service to trade child pornography and distributed three videos to an undercover law enforcement officer in October 2022. He was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams in Cedar Rapids. Smith received a sentence of 108 months’ imprisonment and will serve an eight-year term of supervised release after his prison term. The federal system does not allow parole.

The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006. This initiative aims to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse by coordinating federal, state, and local resources to prosecute offenders and rescue victims. More information about the project can be found at www.usdoj.gov/psc.

Currently, Smith is held in the custody of the United States Marshal until he is transported to a federal prison. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick J. Reinert and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.