Georgia Man Sentenced to Six Years in Federal Prison for Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - On February 18, 2026, a federal judge sentenced 34-year-old Sydney Seymour Carpenter, Jr., of Ludowici, Georgia, to 72 months in federal prison for possession of child sexual abuse material, announced Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson. Following his term of imprisonment, Carpenter will serve 20 years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

According to his plea agreement and court records, during the summer of 2023, the United States Marshals Service Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force began investigating Carpenter for failing to register as a sex offender. At the same time, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency State Bureau of Investigation was investigating a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding uploads of child sexual abuse material.

The investigation determined that Carpenter possessed a laptop recovered in Montgomery that contained 49 images or videos of child sexual abuse material. Law enforcement officers later located Carpenter at a residence in Opp, Alabama, where he was arrested. On November 4, 2024, Carpenter pleaded guilty to possession of child sexual abuse material.

This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency State Bureau of Investigation, and the FBI, with assistance 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 prosecuted the case.

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, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.