Tripoli Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Crimes

A northeast man who received and possessed child pornography has pleaded guilty in federal court.

 Evidence at a prior hearing showed that in January 2024, law enforcement officers searched 22-year-old Isiah Morse of Tripoli and seized a phone, which contained images and videos of child pornography, including of prepubescent children.  Investigators say Morse had paid for child pornography on at least two occasions.  

In an interview with officers, Morse admitted that he had downloaded child pornography and then moved it to a “hidden folder” on his phone.  At his plea hearing, Morse admitted that between November 2021 and November 2023, he received child pornography, and that between May 2023 and January 2024, he possessed child pornography on his phone. 

Last Friday (04.17), Morse was convicted of one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.  Sentencing will be before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams after a presentence report is prepared.  Morse faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison, up to a possible maximum sentence of 40 years behind bars. 

He could also be fined up to $500,000, plus up to over $62,000 in special assessments, and a lifetime term of supervised release following any imprisonment.

Morse was taken into custody by the United States Marshal after the guilty plea and will remain in custody pending sentencing.  

 The case was investigated by the Iowa DCI, the FBI, the Johnson County Joint Forensic Analysis Cyber Team, and the Bremer County Sheriff’s Office.