A man from Arthur, Iowa, has pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography in federal court in Sioux City. Wesley Ham, 32, admitted on August 20, 2025, to the charge of receipt of child pornography.
During the plea hearing, evidence was presented that between March 2022 and September 2023, Ham received and possessed more than 94 images and 79 videos depicting child pornography. A forensic review of his computer and phone found a total of 370 images and three videos involving child pornography. Some materials included infants and toddlers as well as depictions of sadistic and masochistic conduct.
Ham acknowledged receiving and possessing the illegal material but denied distributing it in this federal case. However, he did admit to distributing child pornography in a separate state case in Iowa in 2022.
Sentencing will be scheduled before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand after completion of a presentence report. Ham remains in custody with the United States Marshal until sentencing. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and could receive up to twenty years’ imprisonment, along with a $250,000 fine and at least five years of supervised release after serving any prison time. There is no parole under the federal system.
The prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative started by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide. The program brings together federal, state, and local resources to find offenders who exploit children online or offline and works to identify victims for rescue efforts. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.usdoj.gov/psc.
For resources on internet safety education related to this issue, additional details are available at www.usdoj.gov/psc under the “resources” tab.
