Justin D. Whatcott Acting United States Attorney for the District of Idaho | Department of Justice
Cody Michael Howells, a 35-year-old resident of Weiser, Idaho, has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for possessing child sexual abuse material. The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Justin Whatcott.
The investigation commenced after the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) received CyberTip reports from an online social media platform. A CyberTip is a report submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which collects leads on suspected online crimes against children and forwards them to law enforcement agencies. ICAC found that numerous files of child sexual abuse material had been uploaded to an account linked to Howells. A federal search warrant was executed at his residence in Weiser, where Howells admitted during an interview to viewing such material. Additional files were discovered on his cellphone. At the time of these events, Howells was on parole for Lewd Conduct with a Minor Under 16.
Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also imposed lifetime supervised release following Howells' prison term and ordered him to pay $30,000 in restitution to victims depicted in the images he possessed. As part of his conviction, Howells must register as a sex offender.
Acting U.S. Attorney Whatcott praised the efforts of the Idaho ICAC Task Force, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Rupert Police Department, and Weiser Police Department for their roles in leading to the charge against Howells. Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Robins prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative involves collaboration between federal, state, and local resources to locate and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet while identifying and rescuing victims.
For further information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
