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Press Release

FARMINGTON MAN SENTENCED TO OVER 6 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Arkansas

Fayetteville, Arkansas - Kenneth Elser, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced that Howard Christopher Melton, age 36, of Farmington, was sentenced today to 80 months in federal prison followed by 10 years of supervised release on one count of Receipt of Child Pornography. Melton also was ordered to pay $3,600.00 in fines. The Honorable Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.

 

According to court records, in August 2016, the Northwest Arkansas Internet Crimes Against Children Task-force received a cyber-tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) about an individual later identified as Howard Christopher Melton, was using a Twitter account to upload images of child pornography to the internet.

 

On September 12, 2016, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant of Melton 's residence in Farmington Arkansas. A search of a hard drive seized from Melton's residence yielded numerous images depicting child pornography.

 

On November 21, 2016, Agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) interviewed Melton where he admitted to searching for, downloading, receiving and saving child pornography from the internet.

 

Melton was indicted in January 2017 and plead guilty in March 2017.

 

This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Assistant United States Attorney Denis Dean prosecuted the case for the United States.

 

 

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Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website @ www.pacer.gov

Updated August 15, 2017

Topic
Project Safe Childhood