ATLANTA, Ga. – The couple who admitted to producing and sharing child pornography has been sentenced to the maximum of 30 years in prison.

25-year-old Carrie Marie Minton and 33-year-old Charles Brandon Powell of Cordova, South Carolina were sentenced after it was described through court documents and testimony that the couple planned a sexual encounter with an 8-year-old girl and shared explicit images of a 5-month-old girl. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children alerted authorities who intervened before either child was subjected to further harm.

“The resolution of this horrifying case is a credit to the outstanding investigative and prosecutorial work of agencies dedicated to protecting the most vulnerable among us,” said U.S. Attorney Christine. “Our office will be unrelenting in hunting down and holding accountable those who would exploit children for their own sick gratification.”

Minton and Powell will be subject to supervised release after completion of their prison terms, and there is no parole in the federal system.

“This case is an outstanding example of how partnerships between the FBI and our state and local law enforcement agencies are essential in protecting our citizens and in particular, children, our most vulnerable citizens,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Hopefully, the severity of this sentence sends a strong message to anyone who would even think about hurting a child in this way.”

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) and the South Carolina Office of the Attorney General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara Lyons prosecuted the case for the United States.