Man living at in-home daycare pleads guilty to child pornography charges

WILMINGTON, Del. – A man who was living with someone running a child daycare pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography Thursday after a U.S. Immigration and Customs (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigation.

Carl McBride, age 50, of Claymont, Delaware, faces a mandatory minimum sentence of at least five years and up to 20 years, in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least five years to life following his prison sentence. He also will be required to register as a sex offender in any jurisdiction in which he resides, works or attends school.

According to statements made and documents filed in court, an HSI special agent identified McBride while conducting an online undercover investigation into hidden, or “dark web,” child pornography trafficking networks. That investigation revealed that McBride had used a hidden peer-to-peer computer network to distribute child pornography to over 150 individuals from his Claymont home.

After identifying McBride through computer network records, investigators discovered that another person residing at his Claymont residence was then providing daycare services out of the home under the name “Little Tykes Day Care.”

Federal law enforcement agents executed a search warrant Nov. 5, 2013 at McBride’s Claymont home and seized multiple computers and digital devices. McBride was arrested that day after a forensic examination of a laptop computer found near a diaper changing table revealed over 28,000 files depicting photographs and movies of child pornography. Most of these images depicted the violent sexual abuse of prepubescent girls.

During a post-arrest interview, McBride admitted to trafficking in child pornography but claimed he was doing so in an effort to identify and help law enforcement agencies apprehend other child predators. McBride admitted, however, that he had not contacted any law enforcement agencies about his ‘efforts’ to catch online predators, adding that he was “almost done collecting the evidence” at the time of the search and his arrest. McBride has been held in federal custody since then. The Office of Child Care Licensing suspended the daycare operator’s license the same day.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. McAndrew.

This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 10,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2014, more than 2,300 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.

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. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196. 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.