Des Moines Sun

A Des Moines businessman has pleaded guilty to charges of sexual exploitation and attempted sexual exploitation of a child, as well as possession of child pornography.

According to public court documents, Jeffrey Walter Gray, 61, created and possessed child sexual abuse material. From approximately 2005 to at least 2016, Gray used minors to produce such material. Some of the content was created at his photography business, Wicked Imagery, in the Des Moines area. Hidden cameras placed in changing rooms at Wicked Imagery captured videos and images of minor children undressing. In November 2023, investigators recovered a hard drive from Gray’s residence containing child sexual abuse material involving at least fifteen minor victims.

Gray is scheduled for sentencing on January 8, 2025. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 30 years for the sexual exploitation charge. Additionally, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years for the possession of child pornography charge. A federal district court judge will determine the final sentence after considering United States sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case with assistance from the Des Moines Police Department.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood coordinates federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood or internet safety education resources, visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.