United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Devon Rice, 29, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced on August 20, 2026, in federal court in Lincoln for attempted production of child pornography. District Court Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Rice to 180 months’ imprisonment to be served consecutive to his 2025 conviction for receipt of child pornography. The total time of imprisonment for Rice is 250 months. There is no parole in the federal system. After Rice’s release from prison, he will begin a 15-year term of supervised release.
Rice was pending sentencing in the District Court of Nebraska for a conviction of receipt of child pornography. While out on pre-trial release in that case, Rice began communicating via Kik messenger application with an undercover officer with the Lincoln Police Department. The undercover officer identified himself as a 14-year-old female from Lincoln.
The conversation quickly turned sexual. Rice asked on numerous occasions for the purported 14-year-old to send “nudes” and “sexy pics.” In June 2025, the conversation involved requests by Rice to meet the purported 14-year-old for sex. Additional requests were made by Rice to the purported 14-year-old for explicit photos.
Eventually, Rice made plans to meet up with the purported 14-year-old at a coffee shop in Lincoln that was within walking distance of the fictitious apartment address the undercover officer had provided to Rice. Investigators with the Lincoln Police Department were waiting at the coffee shop and arrested Rice as he was exiting his vehicle.
Rice was sentenced to 70 months’ imprisonment on August 21, 2025, for receipt of child pornography.
“The Lincoln Police Department is to be commended for this incredible undercover investigative work that will provide the community protection from this insatiable sexual predator long into the future,” said United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods. “Nebraska is safer thanks to this judgement and conviction.”
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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by the Lincoln Police Department.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Nebraska — U.S. Department of Justice press release.