DES MOINES, IA – A man from Polk County was sentenced Friday (May 27) to 55-yearsd-in prison, following his guilty pleas to production of child pornography, receipt of child porn, and to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Authorities say 62-year-old Gary Dale Elliott, Sr., of Des Moines, has a long criminal history that includes a 1988 conviction resulting from the death of his infant son. Elliott spent approximately 27 years in prison for that offense before being paroled in 2015.

The investigation into Elliott’s latest activities began in early 2021, when a woman reported to law enforcement that she had found thumb drives containing child pornography in Elliott’s Des Moines residence. Elliott, a felon, later threatened the woman while armed with a loaded gun.

In February 2021, officers executed a search warrant at Elliott’s residence and seized computers, thumb drives, and other electronic devices. Officers searched those devices and located thousands of images and videos of child pornography. The investigation also revealed that Elliott produced child pornography in 2018 by filming three minor victims with a camera hidden in the bathroom of his residence.

The matter was investigated by the Des Moines Police Department, Iowa Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.