RIVERSIDE, California – A convicted sex offender who is on parole for having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor has been charged in federal court for allegedly distributing child pornography over the Internet.
Andrew Harrison Fowler, 25, of Murrieta, was named in a criminal complaint filed yesterday in United States District Court. Fowler, who was free on bail in a related case filed by the Riverside County District Attorney, was arrested by federal authorities yesterday afternoon, and he is expected to make his initial appearance in federal court this afternoon. The affidavit in support of the federal complaint describes how Fowler’s employer in Corona suspected he was accessing child pornography and contacted Fowler’s parole officer.
Investigators assigned to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office Sexual Assault and Felony Enforcement Team (SAFE Team)/Internet Crimes Against Children Unit executed a search warrant to obtain information about Fowler’s Hotmail account, and discovered that he had sent emails containing child pornography.
The investigation revealed that Fowler exchanged numerous images of child pornography with two other individuals and was actively soliciting sexual encounters on Craigslist. Investigators also discovered Fowler used aliases to disguise his true identity and avoid detection of his online activities by his parole agent. A criminal complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in court.
If he is convicted of the crime of distributing child pornography, Fowler, as a result of his prior conviction, would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of 40 years.
The investigation of Fowler is a joint effort between the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. Fowler is currently on parole after serving a prison term resulting from a case prosecuted by the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office in which he was convicted of three counts of having unlawful sexual intercourse with girls between the ages of 13 and 17. [table id=9 /]
