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    • Sextortion in Muscatine, Iowa

      Article courtesy of KWQC/TV News

      Muscatine County deputies say a man enticed explicit content out of minors and threatened to share if more was not sent.

      Levi G. Delong, 23, was charged Monday with six counts of purchasing and possessing a depiction of a minor in a sex act second offense, a Class C felony; enticing a minor under 16, a Class D felony; extortion, a Class D felony; four counts of sex offender registration violation first offense, an aggravated misdemeanor; and two counts of dissemination and exhibition of obscene material to minors, a serious misdemeanor.

      According to an arrest affidavit, Delong used a social media platform in March to communicate with a girl he knew to be under 18 years old, receiving photos and videos of explicit content. He told the girl he was 17-years-old.

      He then got her to share her account information to view a photo of the girl on a social media platform. Delong also threatened to share a girl’s photos if she did not send more. He also sent two videos of himself to a minor.

      Delong used multiple social media platforms from February to April with different profiles under different names to receive images of pornographic material from minors.

      Iowa code 692A states internet identifiers are relevant information to be reported to the sheriff in the county, and the names used were not registered with the Iowa Sex offender registry as of June 24, according to the affidavit.

      Delong was convicted in May 2022 of purchasing and possessing child porn, second offense; two counts of extortion; and first-degree harassment, according to court records.

      Delong is being held on an $80,000 cash-only bond, court records show.

      Sextortion Prevention Video Series

      Below are links to an informative 5 part series on sextortion. These are short videos of about 7 minutes each. For videos #2-5, advance the time by 2 minutes to avoid repeating the introduction to each video.

      Southeast Iowa Man Accused Of Attempting To Entice Multiple Minors

      Article courtesy of 1040 WHO News Radio

      A southeast Iowa man is in custody accused of attempting to entice multiple underage girls. Police say from April 2024 through July 2024, 28-year-old Skyler Hartwig of What Cheer, Iowa, reached out to a girl who he believed was under the age of 16, sent her explicit photos and tried to get her to engage in sexual acts with him and another man.

      Then in May, a criminal complaint says he tried to get another underage girl to meet up with him and potentially a third man to engage in sexual acts. Police say he also sent her explicit photos and videos. Hartwig is facing two counts of attempting to entice a minor under the age of 16 and two counts of telephone dissemination of obscene material to a minor.

      He is being held in the Johnson County Jail on two $10,000 bonds.

      Burlington, Iowa Man Sentenced to 120 Months in Federal Prison

      Announcement courtesy of The US Attorneys Southern District of Iowa

      A Burlington man was sentenced on Thursday, July 11, 2024, to 120 months in federal prison for attempting to entice a minor.

      According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, Corey Lee Ritz, 48, engaged in a Facebook conversation with an undercover officer posing as a 15-year-old female. Ritz proceeded to graphically describe the kinds of sex acts he would like to perform on the 15-year-old if they met in person. Ritz made plans to meet with the 15-year-old. Ritz then suggested that the 15-year-old bring another underage female to their planned meeting. Ritz then began communicating with a second undercover officer posing as a 14-year-old female. Ritz arranged to meet with the two minor females in person in Burlington, Iowa.

      Ritz arrived at the pre-planned in-person meeting and was arrested by the Des Moines County Sherriff’s Department. He had a Samsung cell phone and three condoms in his possession. Ritz admitted to law enforcement that he was meeting a 15-year-old girl and a 14-year-old girl for the purpose of sex.

      After completing his term of imprisonment, Ritz will be required to serve five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

      This case was investigated by Des Moines County Sheriff Department.

      Summer Photos of Iowans Educating Iowans on HT

      Left: Tom Barr, NAHT Board Member, is at one of several county fairs. A quote from a Muscatine newspaper mentions how Tom is, “Educating local citizens about the threats of labor and human trafficking. The retired senior from West Liberty has been passionate about fighting human trafficking since 2017.”

      Middle: Melody Stone and Lyna Debner hold the logo for the North and Central Iowa Coalition Against Human Trafficking. These two anti-human trafficking leaders staffed a table in Mason City during National Night Out on August 5th. This is an annual law enforcement event to build closer ties with the community. Melody is the founder of the coalition and Lyna is a member of the NAHT board.

      Right: Group who attended and volunteered at the Chains Interrupted Red Sand Rally and Family Safety Fair in Marion, Iowa in honor of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. Attendees heard from 5 different speakers at the rally about human trafficking, then participated in a fun safety fair and an awareness-raising project of pouring environmentally-friendly red sand into sidewalk and parking lot cracks, symbolizing all the people who “fall through the cracks” in human trafficking.

      Iowa Governor Commits $5.5M for Victim Services

      Governor Kim Reynolds and Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird recently announced that the state will provide $5.5 million in one-time bridge funding to ensure Iowa crime victims continue to have access to critical services such as medical and mental health care, temporary housing, lost wages, and courtroom advocacy. Earlier this year, the federal government cut $700 million from the Victim of Crimes Act (VOCA), the main funding source for victim services nationwide. In Iowa, that results in a cut (which begins in 2024) of more than $5.4 million, a 42 percent reduction in the state’s funding.

      “Without adequate federal funding, states have two options: reduce victim services or find a way to cover the gap,” Governor Reynolds stated. “Victims of crime deserve our full support of their recovery, and we will continue to ensure they have the services they need in Iowa.”

      “As a prosecutor, I work with victims and see the devastating reality of losing victim services. And spreading providers thin by making them do a lot with limited resources,” said Attorney General Brenna Bird. “With the looming federal cut to victim funding, states would be forced to reduce services to rural and small counties, deprive victims of 24/7 care such as a victims hotline, and eliminate options for in-person services, including victim-witness coordinators.

      In fiscal year 2023, the Iowa Attorney General’s Victim Assistance Grant Program (VAGP) helped 54,404 Iowans and received a total of $22.6 million, of which $13.9 million was federal funding from VOCA. More than 50 non-profit organizations in Iowa received VOCA-funded grants for projects that served adults and children victimized by crime in a variety of ways, including: Helping families stabilize after victimization; Group and individual counseling; Finding safe and affordable housing; Financial assistance with rent, deposits, food, transportation, and child care; Assistance with the criminal justice system; Referrals to other agencies as needed.

      The one-time $5.5 million funding is from Iowa’s State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund, part of the American Rescue Plan Act.

      Davenport Man Sentenced to 222 Months in Federal Prison

      Announcement courtesy of the US Attorneys Southern District of Iowa

      A Davenport man was sentenced Thursday, July 11, 2024 to 222 months in federal prison for Transportation of Child Pornography and revocation of his federal supervised release.

      According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, David Ponce, 53, a registered sex offender, was found to have a prohibited cell phone while under federal supervised release, had not formally registered with the Iowa Sex Offender Registry, and admitted to using the prohibited cell phone to access child pornography. During the investigation, Ponce was found accountable for more than 600 visual depictions of child pornography.

      At sentencing, the Court also found Ponce had violated the terms of his federal supervised release for a prior conviction for attempted enticement of a minor and he was ordered to serve a 30-month term of imprisonment, for a total of 222 months in federal prison.

      After completing his term of imprisonment, Ponce will be required to serve five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

      United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

      This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit the US Department of Justice website; for additional information about internet safety education, click on the Resources tab.

      Iowa Businesses Against Trafficking and Blue Campaign Resources

      The Iowa Secretary of State Office held a statewide Zoom training to mark World Day Against Trafficking. The human trafficking awareness training session was a combined presentation by US Homeland Security and the SOS. Below are their training resources.

      Blue Campaign Resources:

      IBAT & SAH Resources:

      Putting an End to HT Training in Des Moines September 24th

      The Greater Des Moines Area Rotary Clubs will be hosting a special event bringing the general public and law enforcement together for education and networking on Tuesday, September 24th from 4:30-7:00 PM at Hilton Garden Inn in West Des Moines. Find details and registration information form here.

      Hotel, where police say Dubuque teen was sold for sex, had state certification to recognize human trafficking

      Article courtesy of KCRG/TV News

      A Cedar Rapids Hotel where police said a teenager was sold for sex had completed state-mandated training to recognize human trafficking. Police said they were still investigating how a Dubuque teen was brought to a Cedar Rapids hotel where she was trafficked and prostituted. Police arrested Tana Torres and Jarod Anderson and charged them with human trafficking.

      “Didn’t know where she was at, didn’t know if she was going to make it back ok,” said the teen’s mother. We aren’t releasing the mother’s name for the safety of herself and her family. Her daughter is who police said was forced into prostitution over two days.

      “She’s scared, she has a medication doctor, a lot of nightmares,” she said.

      The Quality Inn Hotel on the Northeast side of Cedar Rapids is state-certified to recognize when human trafficking was taking place. “Each individual has to be re-certified just like the establishment, every three years,” said Ray Fiedler, the coordinator for the Office to Combat Human Trafficking.

      He said a new law requires hotels, Airbnb’s VRBOs, and similar businesses to complete training for state employees and entities to stay there. The training consists of a 20-minute video on how to recognize human trafficking. Followed by a ten-question online quiz. “Hotels are a hub or a location that traffickers will use and the more information that we get out to the employees about these situations the better off I think we are in the long run,” he said.

      Fiedler called the law that went into effect in 2022 a success. 22,000 individuals have completed the training program in 715 different lodging businesses. He said they received some reports of trafficking and hotels were also contracting local law enforcement.

      “Success to me is convictions on traffickers but we are seeing an increase in tips coming to our office in general just from the public,” said Fiedler. “That is success part one and part two is we are seeing more cases coming in. We’re seeing more investigations in these cases.”

      He said the training was working; however, he couldn’t answer questions specific to the case of a Dubuque teenager in the Cedar Rapids hotel. Her mother said she believes more people know about human trafficking situations and need to alert authorities.

      “I want people to come forward because I know my daughter isn’t the only one,” said the mother of the Dubuque daughter.

      Virtual 21st Annual International Human Trafficking Conference Sept 18-20

      It is not too late to register for the International Human Trafficking and Serial Justice Conference 2024. The all-virtual conference offers 100+ live and on-demand webinars. For more registration information, tap here: Attend the Conference.

       TV News Clips & Articles

By on September 3, 2024   /   News