Rockford Man Pleads Guilty to Receiving Child Pornography

A man who received images and videos of child pornography pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids. Anthony Paul Harden, age 47, from Rockford, Iowa, was convicted of one count of receipt of child pornography.

Evidence in a plea agreement and at a prior hearing showed that in August 2025, law enforcement officers searched Harden's home in Rockford and seized four electronic devices that contained child pornography. Between May 2023 and July 2025, Harden received and possessed hundreds of images and videos of child pornography, including of toddlers and 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/pscLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link.. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/pscLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. and click on the tab "resources."

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Harden was taken into custody by the United States Marshal after the guilty plea and will remain in custody pending sentencing. Harden faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years' imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 20 years' imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, special assessments of $35,100, and a lifetime term of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Floyd County Sheriff's Office.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.plLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link..

The case file number is 25-CR-2065.

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