Former Anderson Teacher pleads to Child Porn

A former Anderson elementary school teacher has pled to child pornography charges.  United States Attorney Bill Nettles announces that 47-year-old Joey Thomas Carter pled guilty in federal court in Anderson, to conspiracy to defraud the United States.  United States District Judge Timothy M. Cain accepted the plea and will impose sentence after he has reviewed a report from the U.S. Probation Office. Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that in February 2012, an agent assumed the on-line identity of an individual who had been using Yahoo mail to trade child porn.  The account that the agent took over had received e-mails from an account associated with Carter.  In addition, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children had received reports from Juno.com that Carter had been downloading child porn.  Based on this information, a federal search warrant was obtained and executed on November 28, 2012.  Agents seized multiple computers, which contained multiple images and videos of child pornography.  In an interview with agents, Carter admitted to trading child pornography over the internet.  Carter is former elementary school teacher in Anderson School District No. 5. The maximum penalty that Carter can receive is a fine of $250,000 and/or imprisonment for 10 years, plus a special assessment of $100.  This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. For more information, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.