A federal jury convicted Matthew Jason Manos, age 42, from Coggon, Iowa, on March 11 of receiving and possessing child pornography after a three-day trial in Cedar Rapids. The verdict was reached after about two and a half hours of deliberation.
The case centers on evidence that law enforcement searched Manos’s residence in February 2023 and seized his cell phone. Investigators determined that between December 2022 and February 2023, Manos downloaded and repeatedly viewed images of child pornography on his device. After moving to Illinois, he was arrested in August 2023, at which time officers confiscated a new cell phone that also contained evidence of accessing child pornography. Court records show Manos has prior convictions for continuous sexual abuse of a child, lascivious acts with a child, lascivious conduct with a child, dissemination and exhibition of obscene material to minors, and indecent exposure.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to address the growing problem of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The program brings together federal, state, and local resources to prosecute offenders and rescue victims.
Sentencing will be scheduled before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams following preparation of a presentence report. Manos remains in custody pending sentencing. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment and up to forty years’ imprisonment, as well as a possible $500,000 fine and lifetime supervised release.
Assistant United States Attorneys Devra T. Hake and Ashley Corkery are prosecuting the case. The investigation involved the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, Cedar Rapids Police Department, and assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
