Hawkeye Reporter

A Prairieburg, Iowa man was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges of sexual exploitation of children and possession of child pornography. Bryce Hans Plower, 37, admitted to using social media platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram, as well as text messages, to persuade at least six minors—some as young as 12—to engage in sexually explicit conduct and send him images and videos.

Court documents indicate that between 2014 and 2024, Plower paid several children small amounts of money, sometimes just $1, in exchange for these materials. Investigators found that he possessed child pornography on his phone involving prepubescent children, sadistic or masochistic acts, and even a child engaged in sexual acts with an animal.

Plower was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams in Cedar Rapids on October 1, 2025. He received a term of 480 months’ imprisonment and was ordered to pay $6,000 in restitution to victims. Following his release from prison, Plower will be subject to five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

"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.'"

Plower remains in U.S. Marshal’s custody until he is transferred to a federal prison facility.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation along with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. The prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake.