Federal agents say a 26-year-old Arlington man tried to literally flush away evidence when they searched his home, urinating on a laptop that investigators allege contained videos of him sexually abusing a 15-year-old. That stunt did not stop the case, and he now faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and as much as life after pleading guilty in March.
According to a U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia press release, prosecutors say Stephen Chadwick Howell produced multiple sexually explicit videos and images of the victim and later distributed them. FBI agents executing a search warrant at his Arlington residence on May 7, 2025, reported finding a laptop soaked in urine, which they say Howell used in an effort to keep them from accessing the device. The case was handled as part of a broader multi-defendant enforcement effort in the district.
Court records show Howell pleaded guilty on March 4 to coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity and to destruction of property to prevent seizure. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 15 and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, as reported by WJLA.
Charges and penalties
Federal coercion-and-enticement law, 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b), carries a statutory mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and can be punishable by life imprisonment. The separate count for destroying property to prevent seizure is codified at 18 U.S.C. § 2232, which generally provides for a lower maximum penalty tied to the evidence-destruction conduct.
Part of a wider federal sweep
Per a U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announcement, Howell’s plea was one of several Project Safe Childhood convictions highlighted in March. The initiative brings together federal, state and local partners to identify, investigate and prosecute people who use the internet to exploit children.
What happens next
With Howell’s guilty plea already entered, the remaining step is sentencing at the July 15 hearing, where prosecutors can argue for a lengthy term and the defense can seek leniency within the statutory range. Local reporting and the U.S. Attorney’s Office note that while charges are considered allegations until a case is resolved, a guilty plea means the judge will now determine Howell’s punishment, per WJLA.
