Indiana Man Sentenced for Sexually Exploiting Children

WASHINGTON - An Indiana man was sentenced today to 17 years and six months in prison for possessing and creating images of child sexual abuse.

According to court documents, Timothy J. Carpenter, 36, of Portage, came to the attention of law enforcement around July 2022 after he used peer-to-peer software to knowingly receive and distribute child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on the internet through his cellular device.

During the investigation, Indiana State Police (ISP) recovered Carpenter's cellular phone, which contained hundreds of images and dozens of videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. During an interview with ISP investigators, Carpenter admitted that he used his phone to access CSAM. Further analysis of Carpenter's phone revealed that Carpenter also created multiple videos depicting a prepubescent child fully nude in a shower. These videos show Carpenter concealing a camera in multiple locations near the shower to capture video of the child's genitals and pubic region.

In addition to the prison sentence, Carpenter will also be required to register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student and to pay restitution totaling $76,000 to his victims.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Clifford D. Johnson for the Northern District of Indiana; and Special Agent in Charge Sean Fitzgerald of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Chicago Division made the announcement.

HSI investigated this case with the assistance of the ISP, Lake County Sheriff's Special Victims Unit, and Porter County Prosecutor's Office.

Trial Attorney Eduardo A. Palomo of the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily A. Morgan for the Northern District of Indiana prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department. Led by U.S. Attorney's Offices and 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.