Stacyville Man, Previously Convicted in 2008, Pleads Guilty to New Child Pornography Charge

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — A Stacyville man with a prior federal conviction for possessing child pornography pleaded guilty Aug. 31 in U.S. District Court to receipt of child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa.

William Collins, 44, admitted at his plea hearing that he received and attempted to receive images depicting child sexual abuse between January 2015 and September 2025, prosecutors said. Collins was convicted in 2008 of possession of child pornography in the same federal district and had previously served time in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

A search warrant executed on Collins’ phone turned up dozens of videos and images of child sexual abuse material, along with hundreds of additional images, authorities said. Prosecutors said the material included depictions of prepubescent children.

The case was investigated by the Mason City Police Department and the Iowa Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kraig R. Hamit as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation, according to the release.

Collins faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 40 years, along with a fine of up to $250,000 and at least five years of supervised release following any prison term, prosecutors said. He remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing.

Sentencing will be scheduled before Chief Judge C.J. Williams of the U.S. District Court once a presentence report is completed, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.