Iowa City Man Sentenced to 7 Years in Federal Prison for Receipt of Child Pornography

DAVENPORT, Iowa - An Iowa City man was sentenced on March 25, 2026, to seven years in federal prison for receipt of child pornography.

According to public court documents, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a CyberTip that an account later determined to be associated with Jose Manuel Parsons, 40, received and uploaded files containing child sexual abuse material. Law enforcement examined an electronic device seized at Parsons' arrest and social media content that showed Parsons communicated with minors, including a minor in Michigan who sent Parsons child sexual abuse material. For multiple years, Parsons worked for traveling carnival companies and had access to children.

After completing his term of imprisonment, Parsons will be required to serve a 10-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

United States Attorney David C. Waterman of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Iowa City Police Department investigated the case.

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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.