Former military spouse sentenced to 12 years in prison for attempted enticement of minors

Tacoma - A 37-year-old former military spouse was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 12 years in prison for attempted enticement of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown.  Jonathan David Carpenter was arrested in September 2018.  In April of 2022, Carpenter pleaded guilty, admitting not only the attempted enticement, but also that prosecutors would be able to prove that he sexually assaulted two children under the age of 12 who had been left in his care.  At Sentencing U.S. District Judge Robert J. Bryan said, “There is no doubt what happened here requires a serious sentence.”

“Mr. Carpenter impersonated a child in text messages, to try to get 12-year-olds to send him nude photos for his sexual gratification,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown.  “This sentence also recognizes the significant evidence that he sexually assaulted children, as young as 7, who were left in his care.  The prison term, the supervised release, and the fact that he will be a registered sex offender is designed to protect the community for as long as possible.”

According to records filed in the case in 2018, two children disclosed that they had been sexually assaulted by Carpenter when they were left in his care.  The investigation revealed that Carpenter had taken the cell phone of one of the children, and posing as that child, texted three of the child’s friends asking for nude photos.  None of the children sent photos. One child reported Carpenter’s conduct to a counselor at school.  That report triggered the investigation.

Speaking to the court at sentencing, Assistant United States Attorney Kristine Foerster said, “Here we have a pattern of victimizing children… Children that are particularly vulnerable…. He used extreme cruelty in these rapes… He irrevocably changed these children’s lives.”

In addition to the prison time, Carpenter will be on supervised release for 20 years following prison and will be required to register as a sex offender.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Army (CID).

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kristine Foerster, Laura Harmon, and Grady Leupold.