A forensic search of the Howay?s computer and other computer equipment found 399 visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The forensic search also discovered that Howay had communicated in explicit sexual terms with persons who identified themselves as minors. Howay separated from the military following his arrest and is no longer a member of the Armed Forces.

In sentencing, Judge Garcia said that Howay was more than a child pornography collector. Rather, according to Judge Garcia, Howay ?had taken a sexual interest in children beyond the level of simple viewing? and was ?actively fantasizing about [having sex with minors].?

Back in June staff sergeant Henry Jager at Kirtland Air Force Base was indicted on child pornography charges. The charges stem from a 2009 investigation which revealed Jager has numerous sexually explicit images of children on his home computer. 

These cases were came about as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys? Offices and the Criminal Division?s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC mobilizes federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals, who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.