Ventura man sentenced to prison in child pornography case

A Ventura man who possessed child pornography was sentenced Aug. 1,  to 10 years in federal prison.

Brandon Phinney, 28, received the sentence after an April 1, 2013, guilty plea to one count of possession of child pornography. At the guilty plea, Phinney admitted that he possessed child pornography on his computer.

Phinney was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade.  Phinney was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment, a special assessment of $100 was imposed, and Phinney must also serve an eight-year term of supervised release. He must comply with all sex offender registration and public notification requirements.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel and was investigated by the Clear Lake Police Department, the Mason City Police Department, and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.