COUNCIL BLUFFS — A western Iowa man has been handed a lengthy sentence in federal prison for a second conviction of receiving child pornography.
Mark Fredrick Sandell, 63, of Red Oak, was sentenced last week to 15 years in federal prison, federal prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said that at the time of Sandell’s offense, he was already on supervised release for a previous conviction of receiving child porn. At his sentencing Friday, his release for the prior offense was revoked, and he was ordered to serve an additional 2½ years on top of the 15-year sentence. There is no parole in the federal system.
The latest case against Sandell began with an investigation by the Nebraska State Patrol that showed that an internet address associated with Sandell had received child pornography files. On Feb. 27, 2020, a search warrant was executed at Sandell’s home. Officers seized several electronic devices from the home, and a forensic examination identified 483 child porn videos and 125 child porn images, prosecutors said.
Notable Nebraska crime news of 2021
Read about some of the biggest crime stories in Nebraska in 2021.
Omaha native Brandon Straka, who authorities say is pictured here, was one of the people arrested after the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol. He was released from custody and is awaiting his preliminary hearing.
Craig Harbaugh, a former Dodge County sheriff's deputy, pleaded guilty on Feb. 8 to one count of wire fraud. He set up and gun dealership, then bilked a bank and his investors out of $11 million.
Embattled Dodge County Attorney Oliver Glass, center, agreed to resign on March 1, and a disciplinary committee has called for an emergency suspension of his law license. In the latest episode of his yearlong legal saga, he is accused of driving drunk in January — while still in probation for a DUI.
