Brevard County Man Convicted of Attempting to Entice Minor

A federal jury has found Matthew Steven Howard, 26, guilty of attempting to persuade, induce, and entice a person he believed to be 14 years of age to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

According to the testimony and evidence presented at trial, on December 31, 2013, a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Task Force Officer noticed a sexually explicit advertisement on Craigslist that made reference to a minor female.

During the time span charged in the Indictment, Howard engaged in communications, via the Internet, with the undercover FBI TFO, who was posing as a 14-year-old girl. During the online communications, Howard told the ‘minor’ that he wanted to engage her in sexual conduct.

On January 3, 2014, Howard traveled from his residence in Merritt Island, Florida, to Rockledge, Florida, where he intended to meet the ‘minor’ for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct, at which time he was arrested.

During an interview with law enforcement, Howard admitted that he attempted to entice a minor, via the Internet, for the purposes of engaging in sexual activity. Howard had been previously charged with lewd and lascivious battery in the state of Florida.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, with the assistance from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ilianys Rivera Miranda and Bruce Ambrose.

Howard is facing a minimum sentence of 10 years, up to life in prison. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 9, 2014. He was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshals Service until his sentence.

This case was 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.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Howard’s conviction serves as a reminder of the importance of online safety and the need for parents and guardians to educate children about the risks of online predators.

The community is encouraged to report any suspicious activity to the authorities, and to work together to prevent child exploitation and abuse.

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