Roger Strickland, a 62-year-old resident of Cherokee, Iowa, was sentenced to 63 months in federal prison on September 9, 2025. The sentencing took place in Sioux City, Iowa, following Strickland’s guilty plea on April 25, 2025, to two counts of possessing child pornography.
According to evidence presented at the plea and sentencing hearings, Strickland received and possessed child pornography between June 2022 and May 2023. Law enforcement agents searched his home on May 25, 2023, seizing several pieces of evidence. When asked who had been downloading child pornography at the residence, Strickland responded, “It’s me.” After this search and while a forensic analysis was underway on his electronic devices, authorities were again alerted that Strickland continued receiving and possessing child pornography between August 2023 and February 2024. He admitted to these actions despite knowing he was under investigation.
Investigators discovered more than 225 videos and approximately 8,000 images of child pornography on Strickland’s devices. He further acknowledged that some of the material depicted sadistic or masochistic conduct involving prepubescent children, infants, and toddlers.
The case is part of Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to address child sexual exploitation and abuse. This program coordinates federal, state, and local efforts to locate offenders who exploit children online and aims to identify victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.usdoj.gov/psc. Additional resources for Internet safety education are also available through the same site under the “resources” tab.
United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand presided over the sentencing hearing. In addition to imprisonment and a five-year term of supervised release after his sentence ends—without eligibility for parole—Strickland was ordered to pay $39,000 in restitution to the victims identified in this case. He remains in custody with the U.S. Marshals Service pending transfer to a federal facility.
