Man Gets 14 Years in Prison in Child Porn Case

San Diego resident Howard Willie Carter II, 37, received hundreds of pornographic images of minors in August 2012

A San Diego man convicted for receiving child pornography on his computer was sentenced to 14 years in behind bars this week, federal officials confirmed.

Howard Willie Carter II, 37, will spend the next 168 months in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release.

According to the FBI and court documents, in August 2012, Carter received and viewed more than 600 images and videos of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Forensic investigators found the images after reviewing his computer. The majority of the images involved minors under the age of 12, officials said.

Investigators from the San Diego Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory (RCFL) revealed that Carter also attempted to upload one of those pornographic videos to YouTube to be viewed by others.

Carter has been in custody since Oct. 17, 2012 and pled guilty in this case on Nov. 14, 2013.

He has a criminal record, including being investigated as a possible co-conspirator in a plot to bomb the Federal Reserve Bank in New York City two years ago.

The primary suspect in that crime was Bangladeshi national Quazi Nafis, who allegedly tried to detonate a parked van filled with that he believed were explosives in front of the Federal Reserve Bank.

Carter went by the name "Yaqueen” on a terrorist watch list and a man named “Yaqueen” was identified as a co-conspirator of Nafis in federal documents.

In October 2012, FBI agents raided an apartment Carter shared with a roommate in City Heights.

Carter was arrested on the child pornography charges and his attorney at the time said his client's alleged involvement with the NYC bomb plot was nothing but "speculation."

Due to Carter’s criminal history, a judge said his 14-year sentence was warranted.

U.S. Attorney Laura E. Duffy said this case should serve as a warning to others involved in the similar exploitation of children.

“Unfortunately, child exploitation is an epidemic in this nation,” said Duffy. “Howard Carter’s actions highlight the dangerousness of this type of activity in our community. I hope this long sentence will prevent him and others from exploiting a victim in the future.”

FBI Special Agent in Charge Daphne Hearn said the sentence was fair, given the seriousness of the crime.

“Each image Mr. Carter possessed represented the victimization of a child. We hope today's sentencing sends a clear message to anyone involved in the online sexual exploitation of a child, that the FBI will not tolerate the victimization and destruction of our children's future. We will remain vigilant and committed to removing sexual predators from our children's lives,” said Hearn.
 

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