Iowa man in possession of images depicting child sexual abuse sentenced to federal prison following joint HSI, law enforcement partner investigation

DUBUQUE, Iowa – A man who possessed depictions of child sexual abuse was sentenced Oct. 17 to six years in federal prison following an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Mychal Olson, 32, of Dubuque, received the prison term after an April 22, guilty plea to receipt of child pornography.

At the hearing, Olson admitted that between May 2019 and December 2020, he knowingly received depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct on his cell phone.

Olson was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Olson was sentenced to 72 months’ imprisonment and fined $100. He was ordered to make restitution. He must also serve a 10-year term of supervised release after the prison term and will be required to register on the sex offender registry. There is no parole in the federal system.

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

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Liz Dupuich and investigated by HSI, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Waterloo Police Department with assistance from the South Australian Police.

Project Safe Childhood

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.

HSI is a directorate of ICE and the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 6,800 special agents assigned to 225 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

Learn more about HSI’s mission to combat child exploitation in your community on Twitter, @HSIKansasCity.