Lang
7/20/24
A new trial date has been set for a University of Iowa fraternity member accused of distributing a sexually explicit video of a woman without her permission.
23-year-old Carson Steffen is charged with 1st Degree Harassment. Steffen is one of several former members of the UI Phi Gamma Delta chapter accused of drugging, assaulting and recording then-UI student Makena Solberg at the FIJI house on Ellis Avenue in September of 2020. Steffen allegedly recorded some of the incident and distributed it to fellow fraternity members via Snapchat.
Police arrested Steffen in the fall of 2021, weeks after Solberg went public about Iowa City Police initially choosing not to pursue charges immediately after she notified them. Her social media posts about the incident sparked protests on the UI campus in September of 2021.
Solberg filed suit against Steffen, former fraternity brother Jacob Meloan, and the fraternity itself for her alleged assault. That civil lawsuit is scheduled for a November 5th trial in Tama County after a change of venue was granted last year.
Steffen also faces a criminal charge of 1st Degree Harassment. On Tuesday, Judge Jason Burns set a case management conference for November 27th. Trial is now scheduled for December 3rd.
If convicted, Steffen faces a maximum of two years in jail. No charges were filed for the alleged sexual assault itself.