Iowa survivalist who faked his own death to avoid child porn charges sentenced to 2 decades

DES MOINES, Iowa (TCD) -- A 27-year-old survivalist who faked his own death to avoid child pornography charges will spend two decades in prison.

In 2016, Jacob Greer was initially arrested and federally charged with child pornography following an investigation by Homeland Security that began in 2014, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa said.

For several years, Greer reportedly "received, possessed, and distributed child pornography on the internet."

According to the Attorney’s Office, Greer tried to conceal evidence by using internet platforms instead of using his own electronic devices, and he would sometimes delete files. However, on Feb. 4, 2015, the Attorney’s Office said law enforcement executed a search warrant at his home and seized numerous electronic devices containing child pornography.

A day after his arrest, Greer was released on bond and ordered to wear a GPS ankle monitor while living with his grandmother, KIRO-TV reports.

In May 2016, Greer’s ankle monitor had reportedly been removed. Authorities began a search for Greer, and according to the Attorney’s Office, they found a "suicide note" by Greer’s abandoned car near a lake, but Greer’s body was nowhere to be found.

According to KIRO, investigators concluded that Greer had fled Iowa with a car he had bought for $1,000, a bow, arrows, and survival gear. He was reportedly last seen at a Walmart in Montana on June 3, 2016, wearing a camouflage hat. He reportedly "had plans to live off the land in remote areas of the upper western states or southern Canada, hiding out in abandoned cabins."

Years later, in April 2022, Greer was found by the U.S. Marshals’ Fugitive Task Force and arrested in Spanaway, Washington, the Attorney’s Office said.

On Monday, Jan. 30, the Attorney’s Office announced that Greer was sentenced to 20 years in prison and will have to pay $12,000 in restitution to the victims of the child pornography he collected. Greer will reportedly be placed on supervised release for five years after his prison sentence and will also have to register as a sex offender.

In a statement, United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal said, "Thanks to the dedicated efforts of our law enforcement partners, including the United States Marshals’ Fugitive Task Force, sex offender Jacob Greer failed in his attempt to avoid accountability for these serious charges involving the exploitation of children."

MORE:

• Des Moines Man Who Fled Prosecution Sentenced to 20 Years for Receipt of Child Pornography — U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa
• Iowa survivalist wanted on child porn charges faked death, arrested in Spanaway 6 years later, 4/5/2022 — KIRO
• ‘Survivalist’ man who faked death to avoid child porn trial is arrested in Washington, 4/7/2022 — TCD
• U.S. Marshals Arrest Man Who Fled in 2016 to Avoid Trial for Child Pornography, 4/5/2022 — U.S. Marshals