Humboldt man pleads guilty in federal court to one count of sexual exploitation of a child

By: Matt Scher, [email protected]

Sioux City, IA – A Humboldt man has pled to guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a child in federal court in Sioux City.

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office Northern District of Iowa, 44-year-old Paul William Flett of Humboldt pled guilty to the charge on Thursday, January 23. In a plea agreement, Flett admitted he sent links and images of child pornography to underage girls and asked them to send images and videos of themselves to him. On June 6, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Flett’s home and in an interview, Flett admitted he threw his phone in a closet when law enforcement showed up because he knew they were there for him.

The release states that a forensic analysis of Flett’s iPhone 12, computer, and social media Kik account discovered a total of 16 videos and 60 images of child pornography. The images and videos contained material that portrayed “sadistic or masochistic conduct, as well as prepubescent children, infants, and toddlers.”

Flett was taken into custody by the United States Marshal after the guilty plea and will remain in custody pending sentencing. Flett faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 30 years, a $250,000 fine, and a term of supervised release following any imprisonment of five years to life.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

The case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Cyber-Crime Unit, and the Webster County Sheriff’s Office in Missouri.