Hawkeye Reporter

Brian Oakleaf, a 52-year-old former employee of Storm Lake City, Iowa, pleaded guilty on September 9, 2025, to two counts of possession of child pornography in federal court in Sioux City.

According to evidence presented at the plea hearing, between March 1, 2022, and July 29, 2024, Oakleaf received, distributed, and possessed child pornography. The material included depictions involving prepubescent minors or children under the age of twelve on two separate cell phones. In May 2024, law enforcement began investigating an online file sharing program that was distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Their investigation led them to an IP address linked to Oakleaf.

On July 29, 2024, investigators executed search warrants at Oakleaf’s home and his office at Storm Lake City Hall. They seized cell phones and other electronic devices. Forensic analysis showed that Oakleaf used the targeted file sharing program and employed known child exploitation search terms to obtain CSAM. He also used the alias Dan Dyle for viewing and trading child pornography. As part of his plea agreement, Oakleaf admitted possessing one video over ninety minutes long and more than twenty thousand images of child pornography across two phones. The materials included depictions of toddlers as well as bondage and sadistic conduct.

"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/psc.  For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”"

Oakleaf is awaiting sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand after a presentence report is prepared. He was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals following his guilty plea and will remain detained until sentencing. He faces up to forty years in prison without parole in the federal system—a maximum $500,000 fine—and at least five years supervised release if imprisoned.