Des Moines man pleads guilty to possession of child pornography and sexual exploitation

DES MOINES, Iowa — A Des Moines businessman has pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation, attempted sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography.

According to public court documents, 61-year-old Jeffrey Walter Gray created and possessed child pornography.

From 2005 to at least approximately 2016, Gray used minors to produce child abuse material. Some of the material was created at Gray’s photography business and operated in the Des Moines area—Wicked Imagery.

The material included footage from hidden cameras placed in Wicked Imagery’s locker rooms to capture videos and photographs of underage children undressing.

In November 2023, detectives found a hard drive in Gray’s home that later contained child sexual abuse material, including at least 15 underage victims.

Gray is scheduled to be sentenced on January 8, 2025. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years for the sexual exploitation charge.

Gray also faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years for possession of child pornography.

A federal district judge determines the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.