A federal appeals court has upheld the 30-year prison sentence of a former Cedar Rapids youth group leader who had pleaded guilty to child pornography charges. Thirty-six-year-old Abdel Mageed Fadl has pleaded guilty in 2005 to sexual exploitation of children by producing child pornography.
Fadl had allegedly used a digital camera to take pictures of a 13-year-old boy engage in sexually explicit acts, then transferred them to a computer. He also admitted to victimizing six other boys in a similar manner, having sexual contact with some of them. Fadle was sentenced last August to 30 years in prison. Fadle appealed, claiming the court failed to consider his involvement in the community and that 14-year-olds are considered adults in his native country of Sudan.
The Court of Appeals rejected the claims and also noted that Fadl’s involvement in the community activities, specifically as a youth group leader, may have facilitated his crimes.