Edward Nicholas Carney, 54, of Kissimmee, was sentenced to 15 years and 8 months in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material. The court also ordered Carney to forfeit more than 50 electronic devices which were used to commit the offense. Carney had pleaded guilty on June 22, 2023. The 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.
According to court documents, Carney shared hundreds of depictions of child sexual abuse material using a social media platform. Upon executing a search warrant on his home, law enforcement uncovered more than one million depictions of child sexual abuse material on Carney’s electronic devices. Carney had screen savers displaying child sexual abuse on his computers when law enforcement entered his residence. Upon his arrest, Carney asked a law enforcement officer, “You’ve never had any curiosity about something? Just to look and see?”
As of the date of Carney’s sentencing hearing, more than two terabytes of child sexual abuse material, including 137 known series of child sex abuse, have been located on Carney’s electronic devices.
“This investigation is yet another example of the dedication and determination of the FBI and its law enforcement partners in unmasking child predators and keeping our children safe,” said FBI Tampa Division Special Agent in Charge David Walker.
