A federal jury in Miami has convicted 55-year-old Earl Richard Clouser of attempting to produce child sexual abuse material, after prosecutors said he flew to Havana to meet a 15-year-old girl he had been communicating with online. According to authorities, the teen stayed overnight in Clouser’s rented apartment in Havana, and when he re-entered the United States through Miami International Airport on Sept. 19, 2025, officers found sexually explicit material and communications on his electronic devices. He now faces up to 30 years in federal prison, with a mandatory minimum of 15 years at sentencing.
Prosecutors' account
According to a press release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, court records and trial evidence showed that Clouser engaged in months-long online communications with the girl and repeatedly solicited sexually explicit videos, often offering electronic payments in return. Prosecutors told jurors that Clouser traveled from the United States to Havana in September 2025 specifically to meet the minor, and that before the trip she provided identification confirming she was underage.
U.S. attorney's statement
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones said in the office’s press release that the defendant “targeted a 15-year-old child” and that “the fact that the victim lived in another country did not put her beyond the protection of U.S. law.” The office said prosecutors pursued the case to send a broader message that using international travel and online tools will not shield people who exploit children.
How investigators say they caught him
Authorities say Clouser was flagged for secondary inspection by U.S. Customs and Border Protection when he landed at Miami International Airport. During that inspection, officers allegedly discovered child sexual abuse material and communications between him and the teen on three electronic devices he was carrying. That account was reported by NBC6 South Florida.
Legal stakes and context
Clouser faces a statutory maximum of 30 years in prison and a mandatory minimum of 15 years, with a federal judge to set the exact sentence after applying the sentencing guidelines, according to NBC6 South Florida. Federal prosecutions for production of child sexual abuse material and related offenses fall under child-exploitation statutes and guidance outlined in the U.S. Attorneys' Manual, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office said the case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. Court documents list the case in the Southern District of Florida under case number 25-cr-20444; a sentencing date has not yet been announced.
