Idaho man sentenced to more than 20 years on child pornography charges

FRESNO, Calif. – An Idaho man was sentenced Monday to 20 years in federal prison followed by a lifetime term of supervised release on child pornography charges, the result of a probe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

According to court documents, Allen Trent Carter, 53, of McCammon, Idaho, was identified during the course of an investigation into his son, Bradley Vaine, 27, of Fresno. That probe revealed McCammon had exchanged numerous child pornography images and engaged in Facebook chat sessions with his son discussing the sexual abuse of children. Vaine is currently being prosecuted for trafficking in child pornography.

In another HSI case, John Brian Noblia, 33, of Bakersfield, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of receiving and distributing an image depicting a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The charge carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison. Noblia’s sentencing is scheduled for March 31.

"While there is no way to undo the despicable crimes committed against these innocent and vulnerable children, it is a relief that the defendants found guilty of these crimes will no longer be in a position to carry out their criminal acts," said Clark Settles, special agent in charge for HSI San Francisco. "HSI will continue to work tirelessly with its federal and local law enforcement partners to seek justice for the young victims in these cases, who will bear the emotional and physical scars of these crimes for the rest of their lives."

These cases are a product of Operation Predator, a nationwide HSI initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders and child sex traffickers; and Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice effort launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.

Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. Click on the "resources" tab for information about Internet safety.