HOWELL, Mich. (WXYZ) — Jacob Sampson, 36, is in federal custody after FBI agents raided his Howell home following an investigation into child sexual exploitation. Sampson is charged with sexually exploiting a child, and with receipt,distribution, and possession of child pornography.
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According to investigators, the FBI Child Exploitation Unit found someone using multiple accounts to receive and share child pornography on the Kik messaging app in May. Investigators say those accounts traced back to Sampson. They also allege Sampson uploaded child pornography to Dropbox in 2022, 2024, and 2025.
The FBI says on July 18 of this year, Sampson knowingly coerced a 7-year-old child to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of recording them.
Federal agents raided his Howell home on July 21 while his wife and three children were present. Investigators say he admitted to viewing sexual images involving children and expressed an interest in young girls.
Sampson is currently in the custody of U.S. Marshals. He will be formally charged in federal court on August 11.
The Howell Area Parks and Recreation Authority, or HAPRA, confirmed Sampson volunteered as a youth soccer coach on his children's teams from 2023 to 2025.
HAPRA released a statement saying it conducts background checks for all volunteers, adding:
"To the best of HAPRA's knowledge, these federal charges have nothing to do with Mr. Sampson's service as a volunteer coach at HAPRA. There were no red flags disclosed in these background investigations that would have raised to HAPRA any concerns with permitting Mr. Sampson to be a volunteer soccer coach," the statement said.
Neighbors and community members say the allegations are a breach of trust. Howell resident Kris Brown reacted to the charges.
"I think it's terrible in any community. I don't have school-age children any longer, but I would be very concerned if I heard something like that,especially over a long period of time and nobody recognized anything about it," Brown said.
"Lock him up. Lock him up, yeah. I don't think you get a second chance for something like that. One strike, you're out. Send him to jail," Brown said.
Sampson's family is still processing the allegations.
"Please. We're all struggling right now," a family member said.
Community member Al Vaena also weighed in on the charges.
"What's hard to hear is that he's still active doing these kind of things while he's still around children and all that stuff... I don't think this is right," Vaena said.
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