Kissimmee Man Sentenced To More Than 15 Years In Federal Prison For Possessing Over One Million Files Of Child Sexual Abuse Material

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron has sentenced Edward Nicholas Carney (54, Kissimmee) to 15 years and 8 months in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material. The court also ordered Carney to forfeit more than 50 electronic devices which were used to commit the offense. Carney had pleaded guilty on June 22, 2023.

According to court documents, Carney shared hundreds of depictions of child sexual abuse material using a social media platform. Upon executing a search warrant on his home, law enforcement uncovered more than one million depictions of child sexual abuse material on Carney’s electronic devices. Carney had screen savers displaying child sexual abuse on his computers when law enforcement entered his residence. Upon his arrest, Carney asked a law enforcement officer, “You’ve never had any curiosity about something? Just to look and see?”

As of the date of Carney’s sentencing hearing, more than 2 terabytes of child sexual abuse material, including 137 known series of child sex abuse, have been located on Carney’s electronic devices.

“This investigation is yet another example of the dedication and determination of the FBI and its law enforcement partners in unmasking child predators and keeping our children safe,” said FBI Tampa Division Special Agent in Charge David Walker.

“The detectives at the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office who dedicate hundreds of hours investigating monsters like Edward N. Carney are the true heroes. The partnerships we develop with organizations like the FBI is a great way of demonstrating to the community that we can do remarkable things together as one”, said Osceola Sheriff Marcos Lopez.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Courtney D. Richardson-Jones.

This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. 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 individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.