Former Teacher Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of Student

Samantha Meyer-Davis, 32, from Rutland, Iowa, pled guilty in federal court April 30, 2025, to sexual exploitation of a child.

At the plea hearing, Meyer-Davis admitted that from May 2022, through November 2023, she was engaged in sexually exploiting a student as well as disseminating and exhibiting obscene materials to the victim. Meyer-Davis was a middle school teacher at the time of the incidents and met with school administrators on several occasions and denied any inappropriate relationship. Administrators reminded Meyer-Davis of her professional and ethical obligations to her students and encouraged her to cease and desist any inappropriate relationship with the student. When interviewed by law enforcement, Meyer-Davis continued to deny any inappropriate relationship until she was confronted with photographic evidence of her kissing the student who was in a state of undress. Evidence further showed that Meyer-Davis and the victim exchanged over 130 photographs, and over 60 videos related to and depicting child pornography, including materials that portrayed sadistic and masochistic conduct.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006, by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Meyer-Davis remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Meyer-Davis faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years' imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 30 years' imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case was investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Iowa Special Enforcement Operations Bureau, and the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office 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 24-3028. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.