Grand Island man sentenced to 52 years in prison for child pornography

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A Grand Island man will spend decades behind bars for making child pornography, the U.S. Attorney’s Office says.

Scott Lee Meyer, 34, was sentenced Friday to 52 years in prison for conspiracy to produce child pornography and production of child pornography.

U.S. District Judge John M. Gerrard also ordered him to pay $11,250 in restitution and a $9,000 special assessment, which will go to funds for victims of such crimes.

In 2022, the FBI was investigating a series of child porn photos being shared online.

Investigators traced the files to Meyer and Scott Simmons, who had met while in prison for child sex crimes.

The FBI obtained a search warrant for their home and discovered that it was where many of the photos were taken, authorities said.

Investigators seized numerous electronic devices and examined Meyer’s and Simmons’ cellphones. Each contained more than 400 files of child pornography.

Most of the files were original productions, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Meyer admitted that he and Simmons had produced sexually explicit images of prepubescent boys at their home and at various hotels.

Four victims were identified, authorities said.

Simmons was sentenced in July to 60 years in prison.

“The sentencing today of Scott Meyer and the July Sentencing of Scott Simmons reflect the seriousness of the crimes these men jointly committed,” Acting U.S. Attorney Susan Lehr said in a press release on Friday. “Their actions were reprehensible, unspeakable, and carefully planned for their own gratification without regard for the lives they were affecting. The sentences imposed although significant do not erase the impact their conduct will have on the children and their families for years to come.”

In 2013, Meyer was convicted of two counts of attempted first-degree sexual assault of a child. He was released from prison in 2016.

The federal system has no parole, so Meyer won’t be released until 2075.

He will then be on supervised release for the rest of his life.