Prison for man flew to Co. for sex with a child

A man who flew from Las Vegas to Denver to allegedly have sex with a child has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Brian Franklin Howard, age 38, was arrested on April 2 at Denver International Airport by Homeland Security Investigations and the Denver Police Department.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said Howard initially came into contact with an undercover HSI agent online.  The special agent was using the persona of a single mother of two girls, ages 10 and 14. 

Howard took photos of his penis and sent them to the single mother persona, indicating that he would like for her to show the photos to her daughters, according to investigators.  He then arranged to meet her and her children in Denver. 

He flew from Las Vegas to Denver, where he was met by an agent acting in an undercover capacity at DIA. 

"Once he confirmed his intent to have sex with the children he was arrested," said Jeff Dorschner, Public Affairs Officer for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Denver.

Howard was sentenced to 120 months in prison Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Denver for traveling across state lines with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, announced Colorado U.S. Attorney John Walsh and Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

U.S. District Judge Christine M. Arguello of the District of Colorado also ordered Howard to serve 10 years of supervised release.

“Anyone who travels hundreds of miles across state lines to have sex with a 10-year-old is a danger to children everywhere,” said David A. Thompson, special agent in charge of HSI Denver.  "Under our Operation Predator program, HSI identifies and targets these predators to rescue and bring justice to their young victims, and help protect other children by apprehending these predators in our communities.”