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Pieper Lewis Gets 20 Year Prison Sentence

Pieper Lewis breaks out in tears during testimony in her probation violation hearing in Polk County Criminal Court on May 15, 2026, in Des Moines. Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune

Pieper Lewis breaks out in tears during testimony in her probation violation hearing in Polk County Criminal Court on May 15, 2026, in Des Moines. Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune

The Network Against Human Trafficking is distressed and greatly disappointed to report that Pieper Lewis was sentenced on May 15 to serve 20 years in prison. The NAHT has been advocating for Lewis since the time of her arrest as a 15-year-old trafficking victim.

Pieper Lewis breaks out in tears during testimony in her probation violation hearing in Polk County Criminal Court on May 15, 2026, in Des Moines. Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune

Lewis pleaded guilty in 2022 to voluntary manslaughter and willful injury for fatally stabbing Zachary Brooks in 2020. At the time, Des Moines investigators say, Lewis, now 21, was a 15-year-old runaway from her adoptive home and was a victim of sex trafficking. Placed with Brooks by her trafficker, Lewis said she stabbed him the morning after he had raped her for at least the fifth time.

Lewis, who received an outpouring of public support, initially was granted a deferred judgment, which was revoked in 2023 after she cut off her ankle monitor and left a Des Moines correctional facility. She was placed on probation again, this time at a residential center in Georgia. But in March 2024, she was removed from that facility following rule violations and vanished until December 2025, when she turned herself in to authorities in Des Moines.

At a hearing on May 15, Chief Judge Porter presided over the probation revocation hearing. In this hearing, Lewis’ attorneys faulted the Georgia facility for evicting her with no friends, resources, or even identification, and they said she spent time on the streets and was sexually trafficked again before eventually making her way to Louisville, Kentucky.

There, she was able to get back on her feet with assistance from a local YMCA program, they said. They asked the court to allow her to be discharged from her probation and return to Louisville, where she had begun establishing a support network.

After Lewis’ first correctional placement failed, she and her attorneys searched around the country for a suitable facility, eventually asking the court to send her to the House of Cherith in Atlanta.

Once there, though, Lewis continued to struggle. Jamie Beck, a trafficking expert and consultant who reviewed Lewis’ case files and testified on her behalf on May 15, said House of Cherith had extremely strict and inflexible rules and, in her view, approached its residents with a punitive rather than supportive mindset.

Worse, because of the high public profile of Lewis’ case, House of Cherith allegedly forbade her from using her name or talking about her experiences, even in group therapy sessions.

“They made it impossible for her to benefit from the therapeutic treatments that were part of this program,” Beck said. After several rule violations, including obtaining a contraband cellphone and allegedly failing to promptly return after a medical appointment, Lewis was evicted from the program. Beck said Lewis was told to pack her belongings in garbage bags and was left at a bus stop with no place to go.

“My opinion is it was unconscionable the way they removed her from the program and put her in the way of harm, which ultimately she did experience,” Beck said.

Attorneys and witnesses did not describe her experience after leaving House of Cherith in detail, except to say that she engaged in prostitution to survive and was, once again, a victim of trafficking.

Lewis eventually took a bus to Louisville, allegedly as part of her trafficking. There, however, she found support and success through the local YMCA Safe Place nonprofit, including life skills and other programming and assistance with housing.

Matt Reed, the then-director of YMCA Safe Place, praised Lewis’ attitude and willingness to improve herself. “I can count on one hand the young people like Pieper,” Reed testified on May 15 hearing, said of his 26-year career. “Pieper’s one of the most successful clients we’ve ever worked with.”

In December 2025, Lewis decided to return to Iowa to face her outstanding warrant for violating her probation rather than spend the rest of her life waiting for authorities to show up and apprehend her. “I’m proud that I made the decision to turn myself in,” she told Chief Judge Porter. “I never thought I’d say this, but the moment after I turned myself in, when I walked to the police car in handcuffs, I felt free.”

Defense attorney Andrew Wendel told Chief Judge Porter he understood asking for Lewis’ discharge from probation was a big lift given her history, but nonetheless asked that she be discharged and allowed to return to Louisville. “What happened at House of Cherith doesn’t show Pieper is hopeless; it shows House of Cherith wasn’t the right fit,” he said. “Pieper’s success in Louisville shows she is capable of rehabilitation.”

Polk County Attorney Kimberly Graham instead asked the court to continue Lewis’ probation and hold her in custody until a new rehabilitation placement can be found. She noted Lewis does not appear to have committed any new crimes and had taken steps in Louisville toward a “healthy, stable, and positive life.”

Lewis also asked to be allowed to return to Louisville, saying she’d made many mistakes but believed she was on the right path.

“I’m trying so hard to make things right,” she said. “I would not be opposed to a jail sentence, but I truly believe prison would set me back.”

Porter, though, noted that it would be unheard of for a defendant to not only get multiple chances after absconding from probation, but to each time get to pick their own path to rehabilitation. He told Lewis that, when he put her back on parole after her first violation in 2023, “I was cheering for your success.”

On May 15, Judge Porter sentenced Lewis to 20 years in prison.

“Ms. Lewis, this chapter of your life is now closed,” Porter told her. “I wish you the best of luck. It gives me no pleasure to impose this sentence.”

End of Legislative Session Update on HT Bills that Passed

The 2026 Legislative session wrapped up on its 112th day after a marathon of more than 30 hours to make final decisions on property taxes and the state budget. While the issue of eminent domain remained unresolved, the legislature tackled many of the Governor’s priorities during her last session, including property tax reform, “MAHA” and nutrition policy, charter school expansion, and employment and service verifications, to name a few.

Despite working under a budget deficit and the fact that very few organizations or departments saw significant budget increases, we are happy to report several successes for NAHT to celebrate! Make sure to thank your legislators for their ongoing and continued support of our work on human trafficking and slavery issues.

2026 Legislative Priorities that Passed & Awaiting the Governor’s Signature

HF 1036 (Comprehensive HT Bill): A comprehensive modernization of Iowa’s human trafficking laws that strengthens victim identification, expands survivor protections, improves access to justice, enhances coordination across systems, and builds capacity for survivor-centered services and accountability. The amended bill reflects national best practices and directly advances NAHT’s mission to prevent trafficking, protect victims, and promote survivor recovery and justice.

SF 2205/HF 2602 (Massage Establishment Licensure): Creates a licensure requirement for massage establishments and establishes penalties. NAHT is working in collaboration with the Iowa Massage Therapy Association in response to the challenge of shutting down illicit practices that occur in establishments disguised as legitimate massage therapy facilities. Secure $1 Million Appropriation for Human Trafficking Victim Service Fund  Final Action: Increased the appropriation by $75,000 for a total of $225,000

HF 2598 (Training for Truck-drivers): Relates to human trafficking prevention training for persons applying for certain commercial driver’s licenses.

Secure $1 Million Appropriation for Human Trafficking Victim Service Fund
  • Final Action: Increased the appropriation by $75,000 for a total of $225,000
BILLS SIGNED INTO LAW

SF 2379 (Attorney General Bill): Deals with the confidentiality of victim services and liability, protection orders, sex offender registrations, crime victim compensation program, and more.

SF 273 (Mandatory Reporting for Grooming Behavior): Requires mandatory reporting to the board of educational examiners of school employees who exhibit grooming behaviors.

HF 2515 (Deferred Sentences): Prohibits deferred or suspended sentences for cases involving sexual exploitation of a minor.

SF 2416 (Subsequent Interviews for Child Abuse): Allows law enforcement to petition the courts to interview children involved in alleged child abuse cases if parents refuse. Would require reasonable suspicion that the children are involved in founded abuse.

BILLS THAT DID NOT PASS

HF 826 (Obscene Materials Involving Minors): (Support) Would have prohibited anyone from knowingly producing, distributing, receiving, or possessing obscene material involving a minor. Violations would be charged with aggravated misdemeanors and/or a class “D” felony.

HF 2696 (Record Expungement): (Support) Relates to expungement of certain criminal history records of victims of human trafficking. The bill passed out of the House floor unanimously and the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously. It never made it to the Senate floor due to concerns around “limitations” for which crimes can be expunged.

SiouxLand Coalition Against Human Trafficking Celebrates its 10th Anniversary

Kudos to the Siouxland Coalition Against Human Trafficking on its 10th anniversary as a 501 c(3), non-profit organization dedicated to preventing human trafficking in western Iowa.

The Sioux City Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting in observance of the 10th anniversary at the Haven House in South Sioux. Following the ribbon-cutting, everyone was invited to participate in a Red Sand Project.

The Network Against Human Trafficking wishes to thank Bernadette Rexner, who has served as the Siouxland Coalition representative to the NAHT for the last 10 years. Bernadette received the Outstanding Anti-Trafficking Service Award in 2024.

Davenport Man Charged with Human Trafficking and Kidnapping

Mugshot of Phillip WilliamsA man from Davenport is being held in the Scott County Jail on no bond after police say he posted a woman he met on an online marketplace for adult services and took her to Missouri against her will.

The criminal complaint filed in the case in Scott County Court said Davenport Police learned about a human trafficking/kidnapping case that was being transferred from the Hannibal Police Department in Hannibal, Missouri, on March 24.

The criminal complaint said the defendant, identified as Phillip Williams, 39, met the victim in this case on March 5. At that moment, Williams said the victim was going to be his girlfriend and did not let the victim out of his sight. Williams allegedly began posting the victim on an online marketplace for adult services and set up “dates” for her to go on. The victim had to perform sexual acts with men she did not know during the “dates.” Williams would hide in the bathroom during the encounters, and after each “date”, the victim had to give all the money to Williams. The “dates” occurred in various hotel rooms in Davenport.

The criminal complaint said Williams forced the unwilling victim into a ride-share vehicle on March 9 and took her to Hannibal  where he tried to sexually assault her. A witness to the incident stated it was obvious the victim did not want to get in the vehicle with Williams.

The victim also told police that Williams was trying to start a page on an online adult services marketplace in Hannibal, but was not successful. The victim said she did not want to go on these “dates,” but was advised that if she did not, she would be hurt or would have to complete sexual acts with Williams, according to the complaint.

A warrant for Williams’ arrest was issued on April 14, and he was taken into custody on April 23. He was charged with felony counts of human trafficking and first-degree kidnapping.

Iowa US Senator Chuck Grassley Has Been a Leader in Congress in the Fight to End Human Trafficking

Quotes from Grassley Press Release

“I wrote bipartisan legislation called the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA), now on the books, to educate law enforcement and high-risk youth on how to detect trafficking. The law also helps survivors in their pursuit of justice and established a pilot program to help underserved communities implement treatment models and support services for youth at high risk of human trafficking”.

“Although exact numbers are difficult to nail down – estimates of victims trafficked within the United States range up to a million people every year – the crime of forcing a human being to provide labor, sex, or domestic servitude occurs in communities across the entire country. It’s even more alarming when criminal networks exploit children for these sinister crimes”.

The NAHT has previously recognized Senator Grassley’s efforts with a 2018 Outstanding Human Trafficking Service Award. We thank him for his continued congressional anti-trafficking leadership.

Holding Buyers to Account: Global and Domestic Updates on Sex Buying

Far too often, sex buyers are given a free pass for the role they play in fueling sex trafficking. To illustrate this, we need look no further than the high-profile sex trafficking case of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

For over 20 years, Epstein and Maxwell lured young girls into their orbit under false assumptions that they would help them achieve their dreams. But what really occurred was two decades of sex trafficking and abuse of over 1000 women and children. The pair were convicted of sex trafficking and sent to prison … but they were far from the only perpetrators.

Ample evidence now exists that Epstein and Maxwell provided trafficked women and girls to other individuals (i.e. sex buyers) who wished to sexually abuse them. Yet decades have passed since Epstein and Maxwell were convicted. And we have not seen any prosecutions of the sex buyers who raped so many women and children.

Unfortunately, this is a pattern we see play out repeatedly, not just in the U.S., but across the globe. There is often a disturbing apathy among law enforcement when it comes to sex buyers. While authorities are often happy to go after sex traffickers, or even exploited people caught in prostitution, it is the sex buyers who deserve the most attention. Why? Because it is the dollars of sex buyers that keep the sex trafficking marketplace afloat. No buyers=No business.

Increasing penalties for sex buyers is vital in the fight against demand because it deters people from buying sex in the first place. If employed effectively at mass scale, this strategy can topple the sex trafficking marketplace.

Davenport University Nursing Students Learn About Human Trafficking, Risks

Nursing students at Davenport UniversityDavenport University’s senior nursing students and nursing faculty met with leadership from Women At Risk, International, an organization with a mission to rescue, restore and empower individuals impacted by human trafficking.

As first-responders, nurses are often the first to recognize patients in need.

“For nursing students transitioning into the workforce soon, many of them into critical care and the emergency room settings, information on recognizing signs of human trafficking and knowing how to help is essential,” said Amanda Alemdar, assistant professor, Davenport College of Health Professions. “We were proud to welcome Women at Risk, a non-profit organization based here in Michigan. We recognize the important role many of our nursing students can play to help those at risk in our community.”

The program took place April 16 in the Sneden auditorium on Davenport’s W.A. Lettinga Grand Rapids Campus.

Rebecca McDonald, the founder and president of Women at Risk, International, spoke about the organization’s mission and the importance of recognizing the signs of sex crimes and trafficking, and reporting their presence.

“Rebecca was an engaging speaker with many stories to tell that pulled at my heart,” said Stephanie Larios-Mendez, who will receive her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in May. “Through her words, I learned how I could use my nursing skills for women at risk in the health care setting. I appreciated the time the organization gave us. It was a wonderful opportunity for anyone and everyone to become more aware of the risks at present in our world.”

Jen Pyka will also graduate in May with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Davenport.

“To have Rebecca come to the university was really a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Pyka said. “She opened our eyes to things that are happening right in front of us. As Michiganders, we may think that human trafficking can’t happen around us. Human trafficking can and is happening everywhere. It’s important as future healthcare workers to always speak up for your patients and advocate if something doesn’t feel right.”

In addition to the presentation, the program included Pop Up Shops, an opportunity for not only students and faculty but also members of the community to purchase products made by rescued and at-risk women and men. The products offered included jewelry, bags, clothing, cards, soaps and candles. 90 percent of the profit from product sales goes to Women at Risk programs.

The organization helps women in a variety of risk areas, including exploitation, slavery, abuse, substance abuse, loss, disease, natural disaster, war and others. Its programs reach more than 40 countries.

“When our nursing students enter the workforce, they’ll be on the front lines and in a position to truly help people at risk,” said Alemdar. “It’s important they know how to identify a victim and how to respond to and report suspicious activity.”

Educate to Protect infographic

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By on June 1, 2026   /   News