Scott Devries

Introduction

Scott Devries, a 57-year-old man from Hardy, Iowa, was sentenced to 90 months in federal prison after investigators executing a search warrant found more than 1.6 million child pornography images across twenty electronic devices in his possession . Devries pleaded guilty on April 20, 2026, to one count of possession of child pornography, and U.S. District Judge Leonard T. Strand imposed the 90-month term on September 11, 2026, with five years of supervised release and $39,500 in restitution to the victims. The collection’s scale — a seven-figure image count spanning sadistic material and the abuse of infants and toddlers — made the case one of the largest possession prosecutions in the district.

Background Information

The conduct Devries admitted to ran from January 2021 through August 2022, the period in which evidence at his hearings showed he possessed and received child sexual abuse material, including depictions of prepubescent minors and children under 12 . When the search warrant was executed, law enforcement discovered twenty electronic devices containing the material. Forensic analysis of those devices found over 1.6 million images of child pornography, some portraying sadistic or masochistic conduct — including the violent sexual torture of children — as well as the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers. The case was investigated by the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, the Charles City Police Department, and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kraig R. Hamit under Project Safe Childhood.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Convicted and sentenced. Devries pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography after a warrant search turned up 1.6 million images on twenty devices.

Between January 2021 and August 2022, Devries possessed and received visual depictions of child pornography, including material involving prepubescent minors or children under the age of 12 . The scale emerged when investigators executed a search warrant: twenty electronic devices in his possession contained child sexual abuse material.

Forensic analysis quantified what the warrant search had found — more than 1.6 million images of child pornography. Some of the material portrayed sadistic or masochistic conduct, including the violent sexual torture of children and the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers. Devries pleaded guilty to one count of possession on April 20, 2026. At the September 11, 2026, sentencing, Judge Strand imposed 90 months’ imprisonment, five years of supervised release, and $39,500 in restitution to the victims in the case. He remains in Marshal’s custody pending transport to federal prison.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The consequence is the sentence and the restitution order: 90 months for a collection whose size — 1.6 million images on twenty devices — placed it among the largest caches documented in an Iowa federal courtroom . The release quotes no statement from Devries and no family testimony; the county sheriff’s office, city police, and state investigators who worked the case are named as the record’s authors. The restitution figure ties the sentence to identifiable victims whose abuse was recorded and collected, and the supervised-release term extends the court’s oversight past his mid-sixties.

Current Status

Devries is serving a 90-month sentence imposed by Judge Leonard T. Strand on September 11, 2026, with five years of supervised release and $39,500 in restitution owed to the victims . The case number is 25-3060. He remains in the custody of the United States Marshal until transport to a federal prison. The guilty plea is the conviction of record; no appeal appears in the public record.

Impact on Their Career/Life

At 57, Devries exits the case with a felony conviction that documents one of the largest single child-pornography collections ever prosecuted in the Northern District of Iowa — 1.6 million images, twenty devices, sadistic material and infant victims among them . The 90-month term takes him past 63 before supervised release begins, and the restitution obligation and sex-offense registration that follow custody will outlast the prison term itself. For Hardy and Hancock County, the case stands as a reminder that the largest collections are found in small towns, not cities.

Sources

• DOJ press release, “Hardy, Iowa, Man Sentenced to Over 7 Years in Federal Prison for Possession of Child Pornography,” U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Iowa, September 11, 2026 source