Former Marine convicted of receiving and possessing thousands of images and videos of child sexual abuse

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A federal judge convicted a former U.S. Marine today on charges of receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, in February 2021, Eman Goodwin, 33, attempted to obtain CSAM from a CSAM trafficker on Kik, who was later convicted of production of child pornography. Goodwin told the trafficker he was specifically looking for "younger than HS" and "12 and under."

On March 24, 2022, the FBI executed a search warrant and seized 21 electronic devices from Goodwin's apartment, his pocket, and his car. Forensic examination of the devices revealed that Goodwin used two laptops to download CSAM from the Internet and stored the CSAM on an external hard drive. The hard drive contained nearly 5,000 images and videos depicting children, including prepubescent children, engaged in sexually explicit conduct and bestiality. Goodwin categorized the files into folders with explicit titles, including "CP FULL" and "under 18 nude girl vids." The defendant also saved hundreds of CSAM files on three cell phones, including on the phones from his pocket and his car.

Goodwin faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison when sentenced on Dec 13. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Richmond Field Office; and Brian Platt, Special Agent in Charge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Washington D.C. Field Office, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton entered the verdict.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Halper and Seth Schlessinger are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as 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 U.S. Attorney's Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:23-cr-161.