Harlan Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Federal Prison for Receiving Child Pornography

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa - A Harlan man was sentenced on December 12, 2024, to 84 months in federal prison for receiving child pornography.

According to public court documents, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a CyberTip that an account, later determined to be associated with Jesse Daniel Blaine, 42, received files containing child sexual abuse material. Law enforcement seized electronic devices during a search of Blaine's Harlan residence. A forensic examination of the seized electronic devices showed that Blaine used his electronic devices to receive, view, and possess images and videos of child sexual abuse material, and to search for child sex stories.

After completing his term of imprisonment, Blaine will be required to serve a five-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Blaine was also ordered to pay $21,000 in restitution.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation-Cybercrime Bureau, Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation-Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Shelby County Sheriff's Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation-Child Exploitation Task Force.

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.