Delaware News

Child Predator investigation leads to jail sentence for child pornographer

Criminal Division | Department of Justice | Date Posted: Monday, October 18, 2010



Child Predator investigation leads to jail sentence for child pornographer

Dover – The Attorney General’s Office announced that a Smyrna resident charged with child
pornography offenses following an investigation initiated by the Delaware Child Predator Task Force
pled guilty today in Kent County Superior Court. Stephen W. Carman, age 54, a registered sex
offender, pled guilty to 9 counts of Dealing in Child Pornography and was immediately sentenced to
18 minimum mandatory years in prison by Superior Court Judge Robert B. Young, followed 6 months
of either home confinement or work release, followed by 18 years of probation.

“I am proud of the work that our Child Predator Task Force is doing every day to protect our
kids and our families,” Biden said. “Our streets are safer because this child predator is serving a
substantial minimum mandatory prison sentence.”

Carman’s arrest on July 28, 2010 followed a Task Force investigation into the possession of
child sexual exploitation images on the internet. Task Force member agencies, including the Delaware
Department of Justice, Delaware State Police, and Smyrna Police Department, and agents from the
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) executed a search warrant at Carman’s Smyrna
residence, at 432 Smyrna Clayton Blvd and seized computers and other digital evidence were seized,
as well as fireworks and a small amount of marijuana. An initial forensic analysis revealed multiple
images of child pornography, including images of young children being sexually assaulted by adult
males. As a result, Carman was arrested by Smyrna Police and was charged with multiple counts of
Dealing in Child Pornography.

While Carman was being processed at Smyrna Police headquarters he made a phone call that
led the Task Force to believe that additional evidence was hidden at his residence and the Child
Predator Task Force executed an additional search warrant at Carman’s residence, seizing additional
digital media, including a flash drive secured by duct tape underneath the kitchen sink. That evidence
revealed thousands of images of child pornography, including images and videos of young females
being sexually assaulted by adult males. As a result, Carman was rearrested on July 29 and charged
with additional counts of Dealing in Child Pornography, as well as attempting to destroy physical
evidence and criminal solicitation.

In 2008, the Attorney General’s office drafted legislation that imposed harsher consequences
for the possession and distribution of child pornography. House Bill 421, which was enacted that same
year, established mandatory minimum prison sentences for distributing child pornography.
# # #

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Child Predator investigation leads to jail sentence for child pornographer

Criminal Division | Department of Justice | Date Posted: Monday, October 18, 2010



Child Predator investigation leads to jail sentence for child pornographer

Dover – The Attorney General’s Office announced that a Smyrna resident charged with child
pornography offenses following an investigation initiated by the Delaware Child Predator Task Force
pled guilty today in Kent County Superior Court. Stephen W. Carman, age 54, a registered sex
offender, pled guilty to 9 counts of Dealing in Child Pornography and was immediately sentenced to
18 minimum mandatory years in prison by Superior Court Judge Robert B. Young, followed 6 months
of either home confinement or work release, followed by 18 years of probation.

“I am proud of the work that our Child Predator Task Force is doing every day to protect our
kids and our families,” Biden said. “Our streets are safer because this child predator is serving a
substantial minimum mandatory prison sentence.”

Carman’s arrest on July 28, 2010 followed a Task Force investigation into the possession of
child sexual exploitation images on the internet. Task Force member agencies, including the Delaware
Department of Justice, Delaware State Police, and Smyrna Police Department, and agents from the
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) executed a search warrant at Carman’s Smyrna
residence, at 432 Smyrna Clayton Blvd and seized computers and other digital evidence were seized,
as well as fireworks and a small amount of marijuana. An initial forensic analysis revealed multiple
images of child pornography, including images of young children being sexually assaulted by adult
males. As a result, Carman was arrested by Smyrna Police and was charged with multiple counts of
Dealing in Child Pornography.

While Carman was being processed at Smyrna Police headquarters he made a phone call that
led the Task Force to believe that additional evidence was hidden at his residence and the Child
Predator Task Force executed an additional search warrant at Carman’s residence, seizing additional
digital media, including a flash drive secured by duct tape underneath the kitchen sink. That evidence
revealed thousands of images of child pornography, including images and videos of young females
being sexually assaulted by adult males. As a result, Carman was rearrested on July 29 and charged
with additional counts of Dealing in Child Pornography, as well as attempting to destroy physical
evidence and criminal solicitation.

In 2008, the Attorney General’s office drafted legislation that imposed harsher consequences
for the possession and distribution of child pornography. House Bill 421, which was enacted that same
year, established mandatory minimum prison sentences for distributing child pornography.
# # #

image_printPrint


Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.