LIVINGSTON COUNTY, Mich. – A Livingston County father of three is charged in a federal child sex abuse investigation, allegedly admitting to the FBI that his sexual interest in children is “primarily female children ages 6 to 13 years old.”
Jacob David Sampson, 36, of Howell, was charged this week in a grand jury indictment that includes a new allegation of sexual exploitation of children. He’s also charged with Receipt and distribution of child pornography and Possession of child pornography.
The complaint
An FBI Special Agent said on May 26, 2026, investigators received information that someone used multiple accounts to receive and distribute child sexually abusive material on the app Kik. The Kik account allegedly uploaded videos that “all depict minors engaged in sex acts.”
The feds said they then reviewed CyberTip reports, including a Dropbox report from 2024, working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. According to the report, a Kik account with username ‘bobsmith****’ uploaded 12 videos between February 14, 2025, and February 15, 2025, which appeared to depict child sexually abusive material. Further reviews showed dozens of video uploads in April, May, and June, according to the FBI.
The feds said they then linked emails and IP addresses to Jacob Sampson of Howell.
Search warrant and interview with Sampson
The feds said they searched Sampson’s home on July 21, 2026. Sampson was there with his wife and three young children and agreed to be interviewed, investigators said.
According to the complaint, Sampson told investigators he first saw child sexually abusive material in 2017 and last viewed material like it “last night.” Sampson allegedly admitted that he “used to save child pornography images and videos” and uploaded files to a Dropbox account. He also, according to the feds, recalled “using the username ‘bobsmith’ on Kik” and later told investigators he used “both Kik and Telegram to find child pornography from other users.”
Sampson allegedly said he downloads an Onion web browser to access “dark net” sites and that he views child sexually abusive images and videos and pleasures himself to them. Sampson also allegedly told investigators his sexual interest in children was “primarily female children ages 6 to 13 years old.”
Court records show Sampson consented to detention pending trial. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing and to be arraigned on the indictment on Aug. 5, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. in Detroit.