Prairieburg Man Sentenced for Sexually Exploiting Children

A Prairieburg man who used Snapchat, Instagram, and text messages to persuade children to engage in sexually explicit conduct, and send him photos and videos of this conduct, has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison.

According to a press release issued Thursday by the Department of Justice, 37-year old Bryce Hans Plower received the prison term after pleading guilty in April to sexual exploitation of children and possession of child pornography.

Information in a plea agreement and at sentencing showed that between 2014 and 2024, Plower convinced multiple children to send him sexually explicit images and videos of themselves. Some minors were as young as 12 years old. He paid several children, often as little as $1.  Minors then sent him sexually explicit images that they felt they owed him. Plower also possessed child pornography on his phone, including of a child engaged in sexual acts with an animal, prepubescent children, and sadistic or masochistic conduct.  

Plower was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Plower was sentenced to 480 months’ imprisonment and was ordered to make $6,000 in restitution to victims. He must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

Plower is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.