Cedar Rapids man sentenced to 21 years for child porn

CEDAR RAPIDS - A Cedar Rapids man convicted for distributing child pornography, after previously serving time for a related crime, was sentenced Monday in federal court to over 21 years in prison.

Craig Watters, 31, pleaded guilty last November in U.S. District Court to one count of distribution of child pornography. During the plea hearing, Watters admitted that he knowingly distributed child pornography in 2014. He also admitted to being convicted in 2009 of receiving child pornography in the Northern district.

The plea agreement shows Watter distributed child pornography with others through email, instant messaging and Skype. Watters possessed 29 child porn videos, including depictions of adults sexually abusing children, according to plea.

U.S. District Senior Judge Linda Reade sentenced Watters to 262 months in federal prison. She also ordered him to pay $6,500 in victims' restitution to two victims depicted in videos he received or distributed. The victims were not local. They were identified as part of national series being distributed over the Internet.

Watters must also serve a life term of supervised release and he must also register as a sex offender, following his prison time.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Tremmel and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the Cedar Rapids Police Department.

This 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.

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