3 November 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A Wichita man who formerly worked in IT for Wichita Public Schools USD 259 pleaded guilty to one count of receiving child pornography on Friday.
Eric Carlson, 43, admitted to downloading and receiving videos and images depicting children subjected to sex acts.
The investigation started in June. Synchronoss Technologies submitted two reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding files uploaded to its cloud-based service containing child sexual abuse material.
A news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office says investigators linked Carlson to the account based on evidence, including a photograph of his driver’s license, a selfie, and photographs taken at USD 259.
Carlson was arrested at work, and his phone was seized. Investigators say a search of his phone revealed “numerous” images and videos of child sexual abuse material located in a password-protected folder.
The release says Carlson also had software for enabling anonymous communication and access to the dark web. Investigators searched the software and found webpages he had visited that offered access to child exploitation material.
In July 2023, Carlson downloaded and received a file from the dark web containing child sex abuse material.
Carlson is scheduled for sentencing on Jan. 22, 2024.