Judge sentences Cascade man to 20 years for child porn

A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced a Cascade man, convicted for receiving child pornography, to 20 years in prison.

Toby Donovan, 39, pleaded guilty in July to one count of receipt of child pornography. During the plea hearing, Donovan admitted that he received child pornography over the Internet between 2012 and 2013.

Prosecutors argued for sentencing enhancement because Donovan has a 2014 conviction in Dubuque County for enticement of a minor, and he attempted to obstruct justice by overwriting files on his hard drive. This child pornography case was developed from the enticement case. Court documents show Dubuque County Sheriff's investigators interviewed Donovan in June 2013 in the previous enticement case and he denied sharing or exchanging child pornography with others.

A Cedar Rapids police investigator then obtained a search warrant for his laptop and a forensic exam determined most of the files on his hard drive were overwritten about two hours after investigators interviewed him in June, court documents show. This investigator, however, recovered more than 150 images from unallocated space on the hard drive, where deleted files can sometimes be located.

Court documents show the investigator also was able to recover other 'forensic artifacts” associated with a website used to exchange child pornography. Authorities then found more pornography on two DVDs seized from Donovan's home.

U.S. District Chief Judge Linda Reade also ordered Donovan to serve a 10-year term of supervised release following his prison time. He must comply with all sex offender registration and public notification requirements.

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