Former Iowa City school bus driver sentenced for possessing child porn

A former Iowa City school bus driver already serving a 10-year state prison sentence for sexual abuse was sentenced Thursday to an additional 10 years in federal prison for possessing child pornography.

John T. Grassi, 35, changed his plea to guilty in September, five months after he was accused of having computer images and videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Thursday afternoon, U.S. District Court Judge John Jarvey sentenced Grassi to 10 years in prison, the statutory maximum for the offense, and ordered the term be run consecutive to his state sentence. Grassi will have 10 years of supervised release following his prison term and is required to pay a special assessment of $100.

Grassi was arrested in December 2008 and admitted he sexually abused a relative, according to court records. He later pleaded guilty in Johnson County District Court to third-degree sexual abuse of a 12- or 13-year-old and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Grassi was a bus driver on a Shimek Elementary School route in Iowa City at the time of his arrest. The abuse involved a relative and officials from the Iowa City school district and its bus provider, Durham School Services, have said there is no evidence Grassi harmed any student who rode his bus.

Grassi was suspended upon his arrest and eventually fired.