United States Attorney Matt M. Dummermuth announced today that a Cedar Rapids man’s 60-year sentence for possessing child pornography, receiving child pornography, and sexual exploitation of children was upheld on June 23, 2008, by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
On June 11, 2007, DAVID STARR, 46, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was sentenced to a total of 720 months’ imprisonment following a July 13, 2006, jury verdict finding him guilty of two counts of sexually exploiting children by using them to produce child pornography, one count of attempting to sexually exploit a child, two counts of receipt and attempted receipt of child pornography, and four counts of possession of child pornography. He was also sentenced to a life term of supervised release following his prison term.
Evidence at trial showed STARR met 16- and 17-year-old girls through Internet websites, at times using the name “darklordmaster11,” and persuaded them to take and send to him sexually explicit pictures and videos of themselves. Two of the girls were from Arizona, one was from Illinois, and one was from New York. The victims testified they spent hours communicating with STARR either on-line or on the telephone. Agents searched STARR’s home and office and found printed copies of website profiles for scores of minors and young women. STARR had taken notes on the profiles as he communicated with his victims and kept files on them.
At sentencing, United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade found STARR “is a predator in the truest sense of the word.” The judge added that the sentence was imposed to ensure STARR was “confined for the rest of his life.”
STARR appealed and claimed (1) evidence his wife turned over to police and evidence the police seized should have been suppressed, (2) jury instructions were erroneous, (3) there was insufficient evidence to support his conviction, (4) he should have received a new trial, (5) there were errors in computing his sentence, and (6) his sentence was unreasonable. The Court of Appeals rejected STARR’s arguments and affirmed his conviction and sentence.
“This case is a graphic reminder that Internet predators are out there ready to do children harm,” said Dummermuth. “All parents need to be vigilant supervising their children’s Internet use, and all children need to be aware that an apparent Internet friend may turn out to be just the opposite in real life.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sean R. Berry as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the United States Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Marion Police Department, and the Iowa Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
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