Danville man convicted of attempted sexual exploitation thought he was texting father of an 8-year-old

DANVILLE, Ill. (WAND) — A 51-year-old Danville man was found guilty in federal court on Tuesday for attempted sexual exploitation of a child and attempted receipt of child pornography.

Joseph A. Carpenter was tried by a jury at the U.S. Courthouse in Peoria. On Tuesday, the government presented evidence that, from November 2021 and into early 2022, Carpenter communicated with an person he believed to be the father of an eight-year-old girl, via text. In those communications, Carpenter asked for various child pornography images and encouraged ongoing abuse of the alleged minor.

Carpenter remains in the custody of the United States Marshals Service where he has been since his arrest in 2022. At sentencing, Carpenter faces statutory penalties of 15 to 30 years of imprisonment for sexual exploitation of a child. He also faces 5 to 20 years of imprisonment for attempted receipt of child pornography.

Carpenter must register as a sex offender under the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

The case investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office. Assistant United States Attorneys William J. Lynch and Timothy Bass represented the government at trial.

This case was investigated as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.