COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum has announced that 19-year old Tate Pilger, of Council Bluffs was sentenced July 15th in Council Bluffs U-S District Court, to serve seven-years in prison for possession of child pornography. Pilger was also ordered to pay $1,500 in restitution and $100 special assessment to the Crime Victims’ Fund. He will serve ten years of supervised release at the conclusion of his prison term.

The charges against Pilger were the result of an investigation initiated by Facebook who submitted information to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that a user of their service uploaded suspected images of child pornography via Facebook Messenger. The cyber tip was forwarded to the Iowa Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and local law enforcement who executed two search warrants at Council Bluffs homes linked to Pilger. Law enforcement located a computer, cell phones, and flash drives which were taken as evidence and analyzed. The forensic analysis revealed Pilger possessed numerous images and videos of child pornography.

The investigation was conducted by the Council Bluffs Police Department and prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.