A Muscatine woman, Jessica Rochelle Peters, 37, has been sentenced to 45 years in federal prison for producing and possessing child pornography. According to public court documents, Peters produced seven videos and three photos containing child sexual abuse material in July 2021. The materials included videos of Peters sexually abusing a minor victim. She sent these videos and photos to a man in Indiana in exchange for money. The Indiana man faced charges of felony child endangerment and possession of child pornography; however, the charges were dismissed following his death.
Upon completing her prison term, Peters will be subject to a 10-year term of supervised release. It is important to note that there is no parole in the federal system.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa announced the sentencing. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation-Child Exploitation Task Force.
This case falls under Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood coordinates federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet while also identifying and rescuing victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.