A former Storm Lake city official is expected to plead guilty to at least one federal child pornography charge.
Brian Oakleaf, who served as Storm Lake’s finance manager for eight years and previously managed King’s Pointe Resort, was indicted in March on four felony counts, including possession, receipt, and distribution of child pornography. One charge involves material depicting a child under the age of 12.
According to a status report filed earlier this month in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa, plea negotiations are underway, and a proposed agreement has been sent to Oakleaf. His attorney has not objected to the report, and a trial is unlikely unless the deal falls through.
Oakleaf was arrested March 25 and later released under conditions that restrict his travel and online activity. The charges stem from an investigation by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s Cyber Crime Bureau, which seized multiple devices from Oakleaf’s residence on Leona Drive in Storm Lake and office at Storm Lake City Hall. A Samsung Galaxy phone linked to one charge allegedly contained more than 300 obscene files, discovered through BitTorrent.
Oakleaf resigned from his city role last August. If convicted on all counts, he faces a minimum of five years in prison, with maximum sentences ranging from 10 to 20 years per charge. If a plea deal is not finalized, a trial could begin as early as mid-September.
