Paroled sex offender faces federal child pornography charge

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — A convicted sex offender who is on parole for having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor has been charged in federal court for allegedly distributing child pornography over the Internet.

Andrew Harrison Fowler, 25, of Murrieta, was named in a criminal complaint filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court. Fowler, who was free on bail in a related case filed by the Riverside County District Attorney, was arrested by federal authorities Wednesday afternoon and he is expected to make his initial appearance in federal court Thursday.

The probe targeting Fowler is a joint effort between the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.

The affidavit in support of the federal complaint describes how Fowler’s employer in Corona suspected he was accessing child pornography and contacted Fowler’s parole officer. Investigators assigned to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office Sexual Assault and Felony Enforcement Team (SAFE Team)/Internet Crimes Against Children Unit executed a search warrant to obtain information about Fowler’s Hotmail account, and discovered he had sent emails containing child pornography. The investigation revealed Fowler exchanged numerous images of child pornography with two other individuals and was actively soliciting sexual encounters on Craigslist. Investigators also discovered Fowler used aliases to disguise his true identity and avoid detection of his online activities by his parole agent.

Due to his prior conviction, Fowler faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of 40 years if he is convicted of this latest charge.

Fowler is currently on parole after serving a prison term resulting from a case prosecuted by the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office in which he was convicted of three counts of having unlawful sexual intercourse with girls between the ages of 13 and 17.