A Fort Madison woman has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison after admitting to sexually exploiting a child and distributing child sexual abuse material.
According to federal court records, 27-year-old Metallie Leigh Gillette created child sexual abuse material involving a minor and distributed the files electronically. Investigators also found that Gillette used an electronic device seized during a search of her Fort Madison home to distribute and attempt to sell images and videos depicting the abuse. The material was sent to David Enrique Remigio of Burlington, who was previously sentenced to 16 years in federal prison in a related child pornography case.
Gillette was sentenced on July 8 in U.S. District Court to 30 years in federal prison. Following her release, she will serve seven years of supervised release. Because the case was prosecuted in federal court, she will not be eligible for parole. The court also ordered her to pay $3,000 in restitution.
The federal conviction follows an earlier state case. In 2023, Gillette pleaded guilty in Lee County to third-degree sexual abuse and incest involving a minor relative. She was sentenced to 15 years in prison in that case before later being granted parole in September 2025. The federal charges stemmed from a separate investigation into the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material.
The investigation was led by the Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the Joint Forensic Analysis Cyber Team, the Burlington Police Department, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the U.S. Marshals Service. Federal prosecutors handled the case as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative.
Source: U.S. District Court records, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa
