WHATCOM COUNTY, Wash. — A Whatcom County man was convicted last week for two federal felonies related to possession of child sexual abuse images.
Robert Howell Jr., 47, first came to the attention of law enforcement in 2019 when a foreign country’s police agency alerted Homeland Security of an IP address that had accessed a website “devoted to images of child sexual abuse,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The IP address was from Howell Jr.’s home.
On Sept. 15, 2020, federal agents executed a search warrant and seized several dozen electronic devices. A forensic review determined there were more than 90,000 files depicting child sexual abuse on some 21 electronic devices.
“Many of the images were of the sexual abuse of very young children and included depictions involving extreme violence,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
In all, more than 75 electronic assets including computers, phones, tablets, hard drives, storage devices, gaming devices, and CDs were seized by law enforcement and have been forfeited to the government.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 15.
He is facing a mandatory five-year prison sentence with a max of up to 20 years.
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