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Harlan Man Sentenced To Seven Years In Prison On Federal Child Pornography Charges

A Harlan man has been sentenced to up to seven years in federal prison on child pornography charges. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa, 53-year-old Kevin Charles Kersten pled guilty to receipt of child pornography. Kersten must also serve a 10-year term of supervised release after completing his stint in federal custody. The charge stems from an investigation launched in February 2021 by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force after they received several tips that an IP address associated with Kersten had uploaded child pornography files. A search warrant executed at his home found electric devices and drives containing illegal images and video. The case was prosecuted as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood, which began in 2006 to reduce sexual exploitation of children. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), Harlan Police Department, and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Child Exploitation Task Force also assisted in the investigation.