A Prairie City man has been sentenced to 180 months in federal prison for possessing child pornography, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa. Anthony Charles VanMeter, 55, received an additional 24 months in federal prison for violating the terms of his supervised release.
Court records show that VanMeter was previously convicted in 2016 for possession of child pornography and sentenced to 84 months in prison. He was released from custody in 2022 but had his supervised release revoked on three separate occasions: October 2022, November 2023, and September 2024.
In October 2024, law enforcement officers encountered VanMeter during a visit to another individual under federal supervision. During this encounter, VanMeter admitted ownership of two cell phones found at the residence. One phone contained more than 75 photographs and over 250 videos depicting child sexual abuse material.
At sentencing, the court determined that VanMeter violated the conditions of his supervised release stemming from his earlier conviction. Following his latest sentence, he will be subject to a ten-year term of supervised release upon completion of his imprisonment. He was also ordered to pay $24,000 in restitution. Federal prisoners are not eligible for parole.
“This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” said United States Attorney David C. Waterman of the Southern District of Iowa.
The prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse. The program coordinates efforts among federal, state, and local agencies to identify offenders and assist victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
