Gainesville man sentenced to 20 years in prison for production of child pornography

Press release from United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida
Howard Louis Anderson, Jr., 40, of Gainesville, Florida, was sentenced on August 17 to twenty years in federal prison following his conviction for production of child pornography. Jason R. Coody, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the sentence.
Anderson entered a guilty plea on March 1, 2021. Court documents reflect that in 2019, Anderson placed a hidden camera in the bathroom of his residence. On numerous occasions, he created lascivious video recordings of a minor child using the bathroom. In August 2019, a search warrant was executed at Anderson’s residence and the videos and several hidden cameras were recovered. The victim was identified after investigators reviewed the recordings.
“The abuse committed by this child predator has come to an end as a result of the vigilant efforts of our law enforcement partners,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Coody. “Moreover, the sentence imposed acknowledges the heinous conduct and should serve as a significant deterrent to those that would attempt to prey upon our most vunerable.”
Anderson’s prison sentence will be followed by lifetime of supervised release. He will also be required to register as a sex offender and will be subject to all sex offender conditions.
“This sentence sends a strong message to those who engage in criminal activity and abuse the trust of innocent children,” said Rachel L. Rojas, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division. “I am proud of the diligent work of our agents and our law enforcement partners to identify and investigate sexual perpetrators and bring them to justice.”
The case was investigated by the Gainesville Police Department, North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Frank Williams prosecuted the case.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.