DES MOINES, IA – On September 17, 2020, United States District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger sentenced Michael James Hidlebaugh, age 38, of Perry, to 97 months in prison for Receipt of Child Pornography, announced United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum. Hidlebaugh was ordered to serve five years of supervised release to follow his prison term, pay $21,000 in restitution, and comply with sex offender registry requirements upon release.

The investigation began in September 2017 when law enforcement received an investigative lead from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that images of child pornography had been uploaded to Hidlebaugh’s email account. Following further investigation, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Hidlebaugh’s Perry residence in May 2018. Law enforcement seized multiple electronic devices, which contained hundreds of images and videos of child pornography. The investigation showed that from July 2016 to April 2018, Hidlebaugh received child pornography.

This case was investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.