Des Moines Man Sentenced to 45 Years in Prison for Child Exploitation Charges

DOJ Press

Des Moines, IA – An Iowa man was sentenced today to a total of 45 years in prison for conspiring to produce child pornography and child exploitation.

According to court documents, Shane William Butler, age 47, of Des Moines, produced child pornography on at least three occasions in 2021 when he sexually abused a minor victim while his codefendant and wife, Ashley Marie Butler, age 33, of Des Moines, videorecorded the abuse. Videos of the sexual abuse of the minor victim and child pornography were located on Shane Butler and Ashley Butler’s cell phones.

Chief United States District Court Judge Stephanie Marie Rose imposed a 30-year sentence on the conspiracy count and a 15-year sentence on the production count, to be served consecutively, for a total sentence of 45 years. Butler was also ordered to serve a total of 10 years of supervised release upon release from custody. In addition, Butler was ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution as well as a $200 fine to the Crime Victim’s Assistance Fund.

Codefendant Ashley Butler is scheduled to be sentenced on January 19, 2022.


U.S. Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Des Moines Police Department, the Polk County Attorney’s Office, the Iowa Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Task Force investigated the case. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa prosecuted the case.


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