Iowa survivalist who faked his death to elude child porn charges sentenced to two decades

(The AEGIS Alliance) – An age 27 male individual from Des Moines, Iowa who practiced survival tactics and faked their own death to elude accusations of child pornography will serve a 20-year prison sentence.

In 2016, Jacob Greer was initially taken into custody and faced federal charges for child pornography as a result of an investigation conducted by Homeland Security, starting in 2014, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

According to reports, for a number of years, Greer allegedly obtained, kept, and distributed child pornography through the internet.

The Attorney’s Office stated that Greer attempted to hide the evidence by utilizing internet platforms rather than his own electronic devices and deleting files at times. Nevertheless, on February 4, 2015, law enforcement executed a search warrant at his residence and confiscated various electronic devices that contained child pornography, according to the Attorney’s Office.

The day following his arrest, Greer was granted release on bail and instructed to wear a GPS ankle monitor while residing with his grandmother, according to KIRO-TV.

In May 2016, the ankle monitor that Jacob Greer was wearing was reported to have been taken off. A search for Greer was initiated, and the Attorney’s Office stated that authorities discovered a “suicide note” near a lake next to Greer’s abandoned car, but his body was not located.

KIRO reported that it was believed that Greer fled Iowa with a car he purchased for $1,000, along with a bow, arrows, and survival equipment. On June 3, 2016, he was reportedly sighted at a Walmart in Montana wearing a camouflage hat and had plans to sustain himself in remote areas of the western states or southern Canada by residing in deserted cabins, as stated in the report.

Many years after, in April 2022, Greer was discovered and apprehended by the U.S. Marshals’ Fugitive Task Force in Spanaway, Washington, according to the Attorney’s Office.

On Monday, January 30th, the Attorney’s Office declared that Jacob Greer was given a 20-year prison sentence and will be required to pay $12,000 in compensation to the victims of the child pornography he possessed. After serving his prison sentence, Greer will be subject to five years of supervised release and will be obligated to register as a sexual offender, the Office stated.

In a statement, United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal expressed gratitude to the tireless efforts of law enforcement partners, including the U.S. Marshals’ Fugitive Task Force, in apprehending Jacob Greer, who tried to evade responsibility for the serious charges of exploiting children.

Jeffrey Childers – The AEGIS Alliance – This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.