McAlester Resident Sentenced For Sexual Exploitation Of A Child

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Amanda Lynn Howerton, age 41, of McAlester, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 210 months in prison for one count of Sexual Exploitation of a Child.

The charges arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Choctaw Nation Lighthorse Police.

On February 5, 2024, Howerton pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, on January 22, 2023, Howerton produced a visual depiction of the sexual abuse of a child, then sold that image on the internet.

"The defendant exploited the innocence of a child by taking sexually suggestive photographs for personal financial gain. This is not only an abhorrent violation of the law, but morally reprehensible and will not be tolerated by the FBI," said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Doug Goodwater. "This sentencing delivers a clear message that the FBI will work tirelessly with our partners to ensure those who harm children will face consequences."

"The defendant's acts-producing and selling depictions of child sexual abuse for personal gain-were despicable and heartless," said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson. "Although the sentence handed down will not erase the trauma of such betrayal, it is most certainly deserved."

The Honorable Ronald A. White, U.S. Chief District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Howerton will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Morgan Muzljakovich represented the United States.

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 the United States Attorneys' 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 www.justice.gov/psc.

We encourage anyone who suspects or has information regarding child sexual exploitation, trafficking of minors, sextortion, child pornography, or any other means of child exploitation to immediately contact law enforcement. You can file a report on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)'s website at www.cybertipline.com, call 1-800-843-5678, contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), or call 877-4-HSI TIP.