Twenty-one year old, Alex Trent VanderVeer, of Knoxville, Iowa, was sentenced to 136 months in prison on October 20, 2017 for enticement and attempted enticement of a minor to engage in illicit sexual activities.

VanderVeer will serve 30 years of supervised release following imprisonment and pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund. VanderVeer pled guilty to the charges on June 21, 2017. As part of his plea, VanderVeer admitted that approximately between February 20, and through approximately February 23, 2017, he used a facility of interstate commerce, namely the internet and internet-based services, to violate the federal statute. VanderVeer further admitted that he knowingly used the facility of interstate commerce with the intent to persuade or entice a 14-year-old female to engage in illegal sexual activity, namely sexual intercourse with an adult more than four years older. VanderVeer is awaiting trial in Jasper County on charges of sexual abuse of a 13-year-old minor.

This matter was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, Office of the Inspector General, Marion County Attorney’s Office, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Knoxville Police Department, Jasper County Attorney’s Office, Newton Police Department, and Mid Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force.

This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Childhood” initiative, which was started in 2006 as a nation-wide effort to combine law enforcement investigations and prosecutions, community action, and public awareness in order to reduce the incidence of sexual exploitation of children.

Any persons having knowledge of a child being sexually abused are encouraged to call the 24-hour Iowa Sexual Abuse Hotline at 1-800-284-7821. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) also operates a Cyber Tip line at www.cybertipline.com that allows parents and children to report child pornography and other incidents of sexual exploitation of children by submitting an online form.

NCMEC also maintains a 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST, and a website at www.missingkids.com. Complaints received by NCMEC that indicate a violation of federal law are referred to the law enforcement for appropriate action.