Evergreen Reporter

A Cedar Rapids man has been sentenced to over eight years in federal prison for receiving child pornography via the internet. Christopher Goins, 47, pleaded guilty on May 13, 2024, to one count of receiving child pornography.

According to a plea agreement, Goins admitted that between December 2019 and December 2021, he knowingly received and downloaded images and videos depicting minors under the age of 12. A search conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in December 2021 led to the seizure of 33 storage devices containing more than 600 images of child pornography from his home. In January 2024, after being arrested on federal charges, Goins acknowledged that additional illicit material would be found on his phone. Further searches revealed more content on his laptop and other storage devices acquired post the initial search.

United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams sentenced Goins to a term of imprisonment lasting 97 months in Cedar Rapids. He is required to pay $3,000 in restitution to a child victim depicted in the materials he possessed and will serve five years of supervised release following his prison sentence. The federal system does not offer parole.

Goins remains in custody with the United States Marshal until his transfer to a federal facility.

The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt with investigative efforts led by the FBI.

This case 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 project involves collaboration among federal, state, and local resources for apprehending offenders and rescuing victims.

For further details about Project Safe Childhood or Internet safety education resources, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.

The court file information can be accessed at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl under case number 24-CR-06.

Updates are available on X @USAO_NDIA.