A Waterloo man has pleaded guilty to federal child exploitation charges.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa, 28-year-old Steven William Acklin entered the plea Monday in federal court in Cedar Rapids.
Authorities say Acklin admitted that between January and September of 2024, he persuaded multiple minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing images. Investigators also say he received child pornography between October 2023 and November 2024.
The case was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative led by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation.
Acklin remains in custody and will be sentenced at a later date following the completion of a presentence report. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and could receive up to 50 years, along with a possible $500,000 fine and lifetime supervised release.
The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
