DES MOINES, Iowa – The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa says a Des Moines man was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in federal prison, for sexual exploitation and attempted sexual exploitation of a child and for possessing child pornography. According to public court documents and evidence presented in court, in 2005 and again from at least 2013 to 2015, 62-year-old Jeffrey Walter Gray exploited and attempted to exploit dozens of minors to produce child sexual abuse material on more than one hundred occasions. One of the ways Gray made child pornography was through the photography business he owned and operated in the Des Moines area—Wicked Imagery. Unbeknownst to his photography clients, Gray placed hidden cameras in the dressing areas at Wicked Imagery’s photography studios to capture videos of minor children undressing. Some of the child pornography Gray created depict children as young as approximately seven years old.

To date, investigators have identified over 20 children depicted in Gray’s collection of child sexual abuse material. Many other children are yet to be identified. Gray also collected material containing child sexual abuse material from the internet. In all, Gray amassed a library of over 10,000 files containing child sexual abuse material, some of which depicted children less than twelve years of age.

After completing his term of imprisonment, Gray will be required to serve a seven-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Restitution to the victims will be determined at a later date. United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa says “Child predators like Gray use trust as a weapon for their own depraved goals. This depravity is only outweighed by the strength and courage of the victims involved in this investigation, and the dedication of the law enforcement officers who brought him to justice. Sexual predators like Gray must and will face accountability and harsh sentences for these crimes of exploitation.”

Eugene Kowel, Special Agent in Charge of the Omaha FBI Field Office says “Identifying, investigating, and apprehending child predators is one of the FBI’s highest priorities. Today’s (Wednesday’s] sentence ensures that Gray will be held accountable for his horrendous actions.We are proud of the work of our agents and task force officers in this case. We will remain vigilant in our pursuit of justice in cases like these, ensuring children are protected and perpetrators are brought to justice by partnering with federal, state, and local law enforcement, serving victims and their families, and providing education and conducting outreach in our community.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Des Moines Police Department, with assistance from the Iowa Department of Public Safety-Division of Criminal Investigations.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

(Tama County, Iowa) –  A near head-on collision in eastern Iowa Wednesday evening claimed the life of a young adult and resulted in injuries to two older individuals. The Iowa State Patrol reports a VW GTI driven by 19-year-old Jason Thomas Payne, of Dysart, and a Ford F-150 pickup driven by 62-year-old Mark Anthony Bagenstos, of Evansdale, collided in an offset manner just south of 170th Street, as the VW was traveling southbound on Highway 21 and the pickup was traveling north. The crash happened northeast of Victor at around 5:34-p.m.

Thomas was pronounced deceased at the scene. Bagenstos and a passenger in his vehicle, 59-year-old Jeanne Kay Bagenstos, of Clutier, were injured in the crash and transported by ambulance to Allen Hospital in Waterloo. Each of the accident victims were wearing their seat belt.

The crash remained under investigation. The State Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Tama County Sheriff’s Department and Dysart Police, Fire & EMS along with the Iowa DOT.

(Radio Iowa) – The 2025 Iowa legislature convenes Monday and Republicans have kept their House and Senate leadership teams in place. House Democrats will have the same leader, but there’s a new Senate Minority Leader. Senate Minority Leader Janice Weiner is entering her third year as a state senator, representing her hometown of Iowa City.

“(I’m) a graduate of Iowa City West High School, went to college, went to law school. I decided, pretty much like my parents, that public service was a better option for me,” Weiner says. “I took the test and joined the U.S. Foreign Service.” Weiner was a U-S diplomat for 26 years, with assignments in places like Turkey, Poland, Canada and Mexico. In 1989, Weiner was in East Berlin when the Berlin Wall fell.

“It was a great career that I think gave me a lot of tools that I can bring to bear and have brought to bear in the statehouse so far,” Weiner says. “I spent my career talking to people across the political spectrum and working really hard to understand how all the pieces fit together.” Weiner moved back to Iowa City in 2015 and served three years on the city council in Iowa City before winning a seat in the Iowa Senate in 2022. She is one of just 15 Democrats in the Iowa Senate — the fewest number of seats held by Democrats since 1970.

“We recognize that we’re in the minority,” Weiner says, “and we’re not going to be the ones making policy.” And Weiner says Senate Democrats are ready to critique Republican policies that will be proposed this year — and those Republicans have enacted over the past eight years. “And we won’t just do it on the floor of the senate,” she says. “We will do it when we’re home. We will do it when we’re out around the state, at listening posts, talking to other folks.” Weiner is the fourth woman to serve as Senate Minority Leader and three of the top six leaders for the 2025 Iowa Legislative session are women.

“That’s just the way it should be. It shouldn’t matter whether I’m a man or a woman, but can do the job?” Weiner says. “I think I can do the job and so can my colleagues.”

Amy Sinclair will continue as Senate President and Jack Whitver is entering his seventh year as Senate Majority Leader. In the House, Speaker Pat Grassley and Majority Leader Matt Windschitl are entering their fifth year in those roles. Jennifer Konfrst has been the Democratic Leader in the House since mid-2021.