Previously convicted Washington sex offender sentenced in North Dakota to 8 ½ years in federal prison for attempted sex acts with minor

BISMARCK, N.D. — A Washington man, who has a prior conviction for sexual assault, was sentenced Monday to serve 8 ½ years in federal prison for attempting to transport a minor to engage in sexual acts.

This sentence resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bismarck (North Dakota) Police Department, and the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI).

Timothy Joshua Adam Carnahan, 24, of Longview, Washington, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Daniel L. Hovland on charges of attempted transportation to engage in unlawful sexual acts with a minor. Carnahan must also serve 10 years of supervised release after he completes his prison sentence.

This investigation was initiated when Carnahan responded to an ad on Craigslist that advertised the availability of a young female as an escort. Unbeknownst to Carnahan, the ad was placed online by an officer with the Bismarck Police Department acting in an undercover capacity as a 17-year-old female. Carnahan arranged to pick up the minor female at a local shopping center and take her to his residence to engage in sexual acts. Upon arrival at the shopping center, Carnahan was arrested. During an interviewed with law enforcement authorities, he admitted his intent to engage in sexual acts with a minor. Carnahan has a prior sexual assault conviction from 2012 in Washington.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary L. Delorme, District of North Dakota, prosecuted this case.

This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 16,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2016, more than 2,600 child predators were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 800 victims identified or rescued.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

HSI is a founding member of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.