Baltimore, Maryland – The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced, today, that after a four-day trial, a federal jury convicted a Maryland man of several child sex-abuse crimes.

The jury found James Edward Howeth, 43, of East New Market, guilty of two counts of sexually exploiting a minor, one count of distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and three counts of possessing CSAM. Howeth faces a mandatory minimum 15 years, and a maximum of 140 years, in federal prison.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty verdict with Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, FBI Baltimore Field Office, and Colonel Michael A. Jackson, Superintendent, Maryland State Police (MSP).

During the trial, evidence showed that Howeth enticed and coerced a minor female to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing CSAM. The government also proved that Howeth used a cell phone to distribute CSAM. According to court documents, between April 2021 and April 2022, Howeth produced sexually explicit depictions of the minor victim who was 4 and 5 years old at the time. Law enforcement discovered that Howeth possessed more than CSAM files and that in September 2023, Howeth sent a text message to another person with a CSAM file attached. Then as part of the investigation, on March 14, 2024, law-enforcement officers executed a search warrant on Howeth’s East New Market home. During the search, law enforcement seized several of Howeth’s electronic devices including two cellphones, a laptop, and a desktop. A search of the cellphones revealed a text conversation in which Howeth discussed his sexual attraction to the minor victim and other children in addition to CSAM images of the minor victim that Howeth produced on two separate occasions. Law enforcement also located more than 200 CSAM files on the cellphones and more than 100 CSAM files on the laptop. Howeth is facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison for each count of sexually exploiting a minor. He also faces a minimum of five years and a maximum of 20 years for distributing CSAM, along with a maximum of 20 years for each count of possessing CSAM. This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, visit justice.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.

Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI and MSP for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Colleen Elizabeth McGuinn and Reema Sood who are prosecuting the federal case.

For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit justice.gov/usao-md.# # #