Salem man pleads guilty to possession of child pornography

DAVENPORT — On Friday, Oct. 7, Jason Robert Wesely, 39, of Salem pleaded guilty in federal court to possession of child pornography.

Wesely is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 28, 2023. A federal judge will determine any sentence after considering U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

According to court documents, on or about June 4, 2020, Wesely knowingly possessed visual depictions of child pornography.

Wesely knew that the visual depictions were of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, the depictions included minors who had not attained 12 years of age, and the visual depictions had been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce by any means including by computer and cellular phone.

Wesely used his phone and a DVD to commit the crime. IP addresses connected to a social media account used in the crime were tracked to Wesely’s residence in Salem, as well as his workplace at the National Guard in Mt. Pleasant.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.

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