Oregon Sex Offender Faces Child Porn Charges Over Putnam County Case

PUTNAM COUNTY, NY — A convicted sex offender who had fled to Mexico from probation in Oregon now faces charges in New York over a case involving a 12-year-old Putnam County girl, Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, accounced Friday.

Williams and James Smith, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said Kennedy Carter was arrested and charged with sexual exploitation of a child and other child sex offenses.

He was deported from Mexico Thursday by Mexican immigration authorities and arrived at San Francisco International Airport, where he was arrested by the FBI upon arrival.

Carter was scheduled to be presented Friday in San Francisco federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler.

"The charges unsealed today reflect the tenacity of the career prosecutors of this Office and our law enforcement partners who tracked down this alleged recidivist sex offender to Mexico after he fled from probation in Oregon," Williams said. "The defendant went to great lengths to avoid responsibility for his alleged unconscionable actions, but we relentlessly pursue justice for victims of child sexual abuse, and those responsible will face the full weight of the law, no matter where they may hide."

Federal officials alleged that in May 2023, Carter enticed, and coerced a 12-year-old Putnam County girl to engage in sexually explicit conduct, to take sexually explicit photos and videos of herself engaging in such conduct, and to transmit them to him over the internet.

Also, he distributed material that contained child pornography, including photographs and videos of another girl to the Putnam County resident.

"Carter’s arrest reaffirms the FBI’s commitment to protecting children from dangerous sexual predators," Smith said. "Crimes of this nature are inexcusable, making victims out of some of our most vulnerable members of society. We urge parents to continue having conversations with their children about safe online surfing and encourage the public to come forward with information that could help us identify other potential victims in this or any other case."

Anyone with information concerning Carter and anyone who may have encountered someone using the WhatsApp username [email protected] or the aliases “Mikey Portuguez Perez” or “Javed Montero,” please contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or https://tips.fbi.gov.

Because Carter is registered as a sex offender following a conviction for encouraging child sexual abuse, and has committed a felony offense to do with sexual exploitation of a minor, he is also subject to an enhanced penalty, federal officials said.

Carter, 27, previously of Corvallis, Oregon, is charged with one count of sexual exploitation of a child, which, because of his prior state conviction in Oregon for encouraging child sexual abuse in the first degree, carries an enhanced mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 50 years in prison; one count of receipt and distribution of child pornography, which, again due to his prior conviction, carries an enhanced mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison; and one count of penalties for registered sex offenders, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison to run consecutive to any sentence imposed for the underlying offense of sexual exploitation of a child.

The minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI’s Westchester Safe Streets Task Force and the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.

Williams also thanked law enforcement partners in Mexico, the Benton County Probation Office in Benton County, Oregon, the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California for their assistance.

This case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret N. Vasu is in charge of the prosecution. The charges contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.