A former children’s soccer coach is facing federal charges, including the selling or buying of children, after his home was searched in Howell.
Jacob Sampson is charged with the selling or buying of children, sexual exploitation of children, and activities relating to material constituting or containing child pornography in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Farmington Hills attorney Jonathan Epstein, who is representing Sampson, declined to comment on Friday, Aug. 7.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the charge of selling or buying of children punishes any parent or legal guardian “who sells or otherwise transfers control of such minor with knowledge that the minor will be used to depict sexually explicit conduct or with the intent of promoting the minor in sexually explicit conduct.”
Sampson was a soccer coach for the Howell Area Parks and Recreation Authority from 2023 to 2025, according to a statement from the organization.
The authority said the organization’s background check process – which is run on volunteers every two years – came up clean for Sampson. The authority reportedly hasn’t received complaints from patrons, parents or children about inappropriate behavior from Sampson.
“HAPRA will cooperate with any federal, state, and local requests for information regarding this former volunteer coach,” the statement read.
Sampson allegedly used Kik, Dropbox and The Onion Router to access child sexually abusive material, according to the federal criminal complaint. The Onion Router is an open-source software that allows users to browse the internet anonymously. Sampson allegedly told investigators that he used the resource to access the dark web.
In February and April, Sampson’s IP address was used to upload several videos depicting minors performing sex acts. On May 29, the FBI asked the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children to check their database for additional CyberTip reports connected to his address or emails. Three additional reports were found, dating back to 2024.
A warrant was authorized to search Sampson’s home in Howell on July 21. At the time, he was home with his wife and children.
According to the complaint, Sampson told investigators he’d first seen child sexually abusive material in 2017 and had last viewed material the night before. He’s currently awaiting arraignment on Aug. 11 before Magistrate Judge Curtis Ivy Jr.
— Contact reporter Tess Ware at tware@livingstondaily.com.
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Howell volunteer soccer coach charged with child sexual exploitation
Reporting by Tess Ware, Livingston Daily / Livingston Daily
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By Tess Ware, Livingston Daily | USA TODAY Network
