An Ames man was sentenced Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa to life in prison on fifteen counts of sex trafficking juveniles. According to U.S. Attorney Richard Westphal, 45-year-old Carl Dale Markley used his position as a nurse practitioner and business owner to coerce dozens of teenage boys and young men and women to engage in sex acts for money or other benefits. Authorities say Markley was involved in these activities for over two decades, from at least 2001 through April 2023. The investigation into Markley began following a December 2022 complaint to the Ames Police Department that Markley had been conducting physicals on minor male children without parental consent. Their inquiry, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), found dozens of cellphones, computers, and hidden-camera materials that showed Markley had created child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Investigators say Markley fraudulently told many of his victims that the sex acts were necessary for alleged “research” he was conducting, or the physicals were needed for insurance claims. Markley was initially charged with 17 federal crimes in November 2023, and he pled guilty last November to 15 of the sex trafficking counts. Markley continued to claim his crimes were for research, even after his sentencing. Westphal says, “Markley’s life sentence was absolutely warranted and necessary to permanently prevent anyone from being victimized by him again. His defiance and failure to accept responsibility only exemplifies what a monstrous sexual predator he is. Our gratitude to the courage of the victims in this investigation and the dedication of the law enforcement personnel who identified and proved Markley’s horrendous acts of sex trafficking and abuse.”
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