Deming man sentenced in federal court for child pornography conviction
A Deming man will spend more than 13 years in prison for two felonies related to his possession of more than 90,000 files depicting child sexual abuse, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. He must also pay $141,000 in restitution to the 47 child victims exploited in the imagery.
Robert J. Howell Jr., 47, was convicted of the receipt and possession of child pornography in U.S. District Court in Seattle in April following a two-day jury trial. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour on Tuesday.
Howell was arrested in July 2021 after Homeland Security’s Blaine office received a tip from foreign law enforcement agencies that a computer IP address — later determined to be associated with Howell — had accessed a website dedicated to child sexual abuse material. The website had an emphasis on bondage, dominance, sadism and masochism, gore and death-related material, according to court records.
The DOJ said the “quantity and violent nature” of the child sexual abuse material factored into Howell’s sentencing. Howell “poses a danger to the community and has a complete lack of contrition,” Coughenour said, and will spend 20 years on released supervision following his 160-month sentence.