A man from Burlington was given more than 12 years in federal prison for getting and giving out child pornography.
Public court records show that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children gave police a tip that Edward Allen Billheimer, 64, had uploaded files with sexual abuse photographs of children.
Officers went to Billheimer’s home in Burlington and found electronic devices. When they were searched, they found about 100 videos and 400 pictures of sexual abuse of children, including pictures of babies and toddlers. Billheimer was given a 151-month federal prison sentence.
Billheimer has to be under close supervision for five years after he gets out of prison. When you’re in federal prison, there is no parole. He was told to pay $3,000 in reparations and sign up as a sex offender.
The news came from US Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa. The FBI and the Burlington Police Department looked into the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a national effort to stop the widespread abuse and exploitation of children.
It began in May 2006 with help from the Justice Department. Project Safe Childhood is run by the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices.
It uses federal, state, and local resources to find, arrest, and prosecute people who abuse children on the Internet and to find and help victims.
