A Des Moines man, Jeffrey Walter Gray, 62, has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for sexual exploitation and attempted sexual exploitation of a child, along with possession of child pornography. According to court documents and evidence presented in court, Gray exploited dozens of minors to produce child sexual abuse material on over one hundred occasions between 2005 and 2015.
Gray operated a photography business named Wicked Imagery in the Des Moines area, where he secretly placed hidden cameras in dressing areas to capture videos of minors undressing. The child pornography created by Gray included images of children as young as seven years old. Investigators have identified over 20 children depicted in Gray's collection, with many others yet to be identified. His collection contained over 10,000 files of child sexual abuse material.
Following his imprisonment term, Gray will serve a seven-year supervised release period. Restitution for the victims will be determined later.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal stated, “Child predators like Gray use trust as a weapon for their own depraved goals. This depravity is only outweighed by the strength and courage of the victims involved in this investigation and the dedication of the law enforcement officers who brought him to justice.”
Eugene Kowel, Special Agent in Charge of the Omaha FBI Field Office said, “Identifying, investigating, and apprehending child predators is one of the FBI’s highest priorities. Today’s sentence ensures that Gray will be held accountable for his horrendous actions.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Des Moines Police Department with assistance from the Iowa Department of Public Safety-Division of Criminal Investigations. It was part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in 2006 aimed at protecting children from exploitation and abuse.