Source: Office of United States Attorneys
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – A Council Bluffs man was sentenced on January 21, 2025 to 210 months in federal prison for receiving child pornography.
According to public court documents, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received CyberTips that an account, later determined to be associated with Todd David Matheson, 63, had files containing child sexual abuse material. Law enforcement seized electronic devices during a search of Matheson’s Council Bluffs residence and an Omaha residence. A forensic examination of the seized electronic devices showed that Matheson used the devices to receive and distribute images and videos containing child sexual abuse material.
After completing his term of imprisonment, Matheson will be required to serve a five-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Restitution to the victims will be determined at a later date. Matheson will be required to register as a sex offender.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation-Child Exploitation Task Force, Council Bluffs Police Department and Omaha Police Department.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.