A former ISU assistant basketball coach is expected to enter a plea of guilty to a child pornography charge at a federal hearing Friday in Des Moines, his lawyer said.

Randy Brown was charged with possession of visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct in 2003. He was also charged with obstruction of justice for attempting to dispose of 30 computer disks at Hilton Coliseum containing nude images of minors. The obstruction charge was later thrown out in a grand jury indictment.

According to Daily staff reports, Brown was indicted on one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography in the grand jury indictment.

Brown will appear at a sentencing hearing at 9 a.m. Friday before U.S. District Court Judge Ronald Longstaff.

Brown’s attorney, Tim McCarthy, said he could not comment if the plea will be for both counts of the March 11, 2003 federal indictment.

“It’s been a long, long case,” McCarthy said Tuesday.

McCarthy said Brown and the court had come to an agreement to enter a plea and go straight to sentencing.

He said Brown has been in treatment for the last 14 months, dating back to Jan. 29, 2003.

McCarthy said Brown’s treatment could have an impact on his sentencing. Because Brown is undergoing counseling, McCarthy and Brown’s other attorneys have encouraged Longstaff to consider a reduced sentence.

Brown pleaded innocent to similar charges on March 24, 2003, at U.S District Court in Des Moines.

In January 2003, a search warrant was executed by ISU Police at Hilton Coliseum, and investigators seized computers and data files after the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children contacted local police about Brown.

Federal investigators identified Brown as having participated in computer online chats with an individual claiming to be a 15-year-old girl. A court affidavit indicates Brown acknowledged he had downloaded nude pictures of minors.

Police also searched Brown’s home and seized two computers.

Brown, who coached five years with former ISU head coach Larry Eustachy, resigned as assistant basketball coach March 3 after the charges against him were filed.

Brown coached at Stetson University from 1995-97 before coming to Iowa State in 1999. He was an assistant coach at Miami of Ohio from 1991 to 1993 and coached at Drake University.

If convicted, Brown could face up to a 15-year prison sentence and a $250,000 fine for each charge.