Kevin P. Davidson, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama
A federal judge has sentenced Sydney Seymour Carpenter, Jr., a 34-year-old resident of Ludowici, Georgia, to six years in prison for possession of child sexual abuse material. Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson announced the sentencing on February 18, 2026. After completing his prison term, Carpenter will be under supervised release for 20 years. Federal sentences do not allow for parole.
Carpenter's conviction followed investigations that began in the summer of 2023. The United States Marshals Service Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force started looking into Carpenter after he failed to register as a sex offender. At the same time, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency State Bureau of Investigation pursued a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about uploads of illegal content.
Authorities found that Carpenter had a laptop in Montgomery containing 49 images or videos involving child sexual abuse material. He was later located and arrested at a residence in Opp, Alabama. On November 4, 2024, Carpenter pleaded guilty to the charge.
The case involved several agencies: the United States Marshals Service Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency State Bureau of Investigation, and the FBI conducted the investigation with support from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Alabama Attorney General’s Office, and the Montgomery Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Tara S. Ratz, J. Patrick Lamb, and Russell T. Duraski handled prosecution.
"This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims." For more information about Project Safe Childhood: https://www.justice.gov/psc
