COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – A Bellevue, Nebraska man was sentenced March 19, 2024, in Council Bluffs U-S District Court, to serve 24 months in prison for Possession of Child Pornography.

According to public court documents, Ernest Ray Roberts Jr., 53, pled guilty to a one-count Indictment charging him with Possession of Child Pornography. In August 2021, an employee with Prairie Flower Casino discovered a Samsung cellular phone on the floor of the casino. While attempting to identify the owner of the cellular phone, child sexual abuse material was discovered to have been saved from the internet to the cellular telephone. The owner of the cellular phone was determined to be Roberts.

After completing his term of imprisonment, Roberts is required to serve seven years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by Carter Lake Police Department and Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office.