William Collins, 44, from Stacyville, Iowa, pled guilty August 31, 2026, in federal court in Cedar Rapids to receipt of child pornography. In 2008, Collins was convicted of possession of child pornography, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa and had previously served time in federal prison.
At the plea hearing, Collins admitted that between January 2015, and September 2025, he received and attempted to receive visual depictions of child pornography. Evidence also showed that Collins possessed and attempted to possess visual depictions of child pornography, including a depiction involving a prepubescent minor or a minor who had not attained 12 years of age. During a search warrant of Collins’ phone, law enforcement found 17 videos and 75 images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) plus hundreds of images of child erotica. The images and videos involved material that portrayed sadistic or masochistic conduct, as well as prepubescent children and toddlers.
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 CEOS, 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 Justice.gov/PSC.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Collins remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Collins faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case was investigated by Mason City Police Department and the Iowa Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl .
The case file number is 25-2062. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Northern District of Iowa — U.S. Department of Justice press release.