Jacob Samuel Yang, a 36-year-old resident of Tama, Iowa, faces federal charges related to child pornography. An indictment filed on March 18, 2025, in the United States District Court in Cedar Rapids outlines four counts against him.
The indictment accuses Yang of distributing child pornography in March 2024 and receiving such material between September 2019 and February 2025. It further alleges that he possessed child pornography on a hard drive during the same period and on a cellular phone between March and April 2024.
If found guilty on all charges, Yang could face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years imprisonment and up to 80 years maximum imprisonment. He may also be fined $1 million and subjected to lifetime supervised release following any imprisonment.
Yang appeared in federal court today in Cedar Rapids, where he was held without bond. His trial is scheduled for May 27, 2025.
"As with any criminal case, a charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty."
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse. The project involves federal, state, and local resources to prosecute offenders and rescue victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.usdoj.gov/psc.
Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake is prosecuting the case. The investigation involved multiple agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Tama County Sheriff’s Office, the Tama Police Department, and the Marshalltown Police Department.