Madison County Man Sentenced to More Than 15 years in Prison for Child Pornography Charges

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – A Huntsville man was sentenced yesterday on two felony charges for his involvement in crimes against children, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and FBI Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples. 

U.S. District Court Judge Madeline Haikala sentenced David Edward Sanford, 55, of Huntsville,  to 190 months in prison, followed by a life term of supervised release.  In December 2024, Sanford pleaded guilty to one count of transportation of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. These convictions will require Sanford to register as a sex offender in accordance with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

According to court documents, between September and November 2023, Sanford was actively involved in the online distribution of child pornography in groups dedicated to the sexual exploitation of children. During a federal search warrant for Sanford’s residence executed in November 2023, Sanford admitted to federal agents that he used various file sharing applications to trade videos and images of child pornography with others and expressed his particular preference for videos and images involving children under the age of 11. Sanford’s devices were seized during the execution of the warrant, and forensic analysis of the devices revealed more than 9,600 videos and 500 images of child pornography.

FBI Birmingham’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force investigated the case along with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office and Huntsville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Leann White prosecuted the case.

If you suspect or become aware of the possible sexual exploitation of a child, please contact law enforcement. To alert the FBI Birmingham Office, call 205-326-6166. Reports can also be filed with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) or online at www.cybertipline.org.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s 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 and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.