A Dubuque man has been sentenced to 42 years in federal prison for sexually exploiting a child and distributing child pornography. John James Dixon, aged 41, received the sentence following his guilty plea on January 22, 2025, to charges of sexual exploitation of a child and distribution of child pornography.
During the sentencing hearing, evidence was presented showing that between August 2023 and May 2024, Dixon and his co-conspirator, Justin James Paisley, engaged in sexual acts with a prepubescent child. They documented these acts through photographs and videos which they exchanged via text messages. Additionally, Paisley took photographs of another prepubescent child involved in sexually explicit conduct and sent these images to Dixon.
United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams sentenced Dixon in Cedar Rapids to 504 months’ imprisonment. Alongside this sentence, Dixon is required to pay $6,000 in special assessments and will serve a five-year term of supervised release after completing his prison term. It should be noted that there is no parole available within the federal system.
This case falls under Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse. The project coordinates efforts among federal, state, and local resources to locate offenders who exploit children and rescue victims.
Dixon remains in the custody of the United States Marshal until he is transferred to a federal prison facility.
The prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake with investigations conducted by the Dubuque Police Department.
