Sioux City, Iowa — A Cherokee man who pleaded guilty to the sexual exploitation of a minor has been sentenced to a lengthy term in federal prison.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office for Northern Iowa, 33-year-old James Franklin Buckingham admitted in a plea agreement that he sexually abused a child under the age of 12 and took at least 4 videos of the abuse.
Authorities say Buckingham was sentenced to 354 months’ imprisonment, was ordered to make a payment of $4,116.35 in restitution to the victim and must serve a 7-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was investigated by the Cherokee Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ron Timmons.
