Washington man convicted of possessing over 90,000 images of child sex abuse
Apr 8, 2025, 5:00 AM
The Seattle courthouse. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. District Court Western District of Washington)
(Photo courtesy of the U.S. District Court Western District of Washington)
A 47-year-old Washington man was found guilty of possessing images of child sexual abuse, announced the Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington Monday.
Robert Howell, from Deming in Whatcom County, was convicted last week in the U.S. District Court in Seattle of two felonies related to his receipt and possession of images of child sexual abuse, stated Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Miller.
The attorney’s office explained that Howell’s crimes came to light in 2019 when a foreign country police organization alerted Homeland Security Investigations that an IP address associated with Howell’s home had accessed a website devoted to images of child sexual abuse.
Investigation into Washington man
After linking the IP address to Howell’s home, federal agents executed a search warrant and seized dozens of electronic devices. The attorney’s office added that a forensic review found more than 90,000 files depicting child sexual abuse on around 21 electronic devices — including computers, phones, tablets, hard drives, storage devices, gaming devices, and CDs.
“Many of the images were of the sexual abuse of very young children and included depictions involving extreme violence,” the news release stated.
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According to the attorney’s office, Howell faces up to 20 years in prison, with a minimum of five years. The sentence will be determined by Judge Coughenour after considering sentencing guidelines and other factors.
The news release notes that the case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice.
