CEDAR RAPIDS — A 30-year-old Platteville man is facing federal child sexual exploitation charges.

Christopher Heath-Lowther was charged with one count each of transporting a minor across a state line with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and traveling across a state line for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct.

Heath-Lowther is accused of traveling across a state line between December and February, as well as transporting a minor across a state line, “with the intent to engage in sexual activity that is illegal in Wisconsin,” according to a news release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa.

Heath-Lowther appeared in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids Sept. 16, where he was released to home detention with GPS monitoring. Heath-Lowther’s next court date is set for Nov. 17.

Heath-Lowther faces a sentence of 10 years to life in prison, $500,000 in fines, and five years to life supervised release after imprisonment if convicted.

The case was investigated by Platteville and Maquoketa, Iowa, police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the U.S. Justice Department to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.