Columbia County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Charge of Receiving Child Pornography

JACKSONVILLE—Robert Allen Brammer (24, High Springs) pled guilty today to a federal charge of receiving child pornography over the Internet. Brammer faces a mandatory minimum sentence of at least five years and up to 20 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, and a potential life term of supervised release. The plea agreement also requires Brammer to forfeit several computers and other digital media. His sentencing hearing is set for August 27, 2012 at 1:30 p.m.

According to court documents, a detective working with the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force began an undercover operation to identify persons using a particular file-sharing program on the Internet to obtain and share child pornography. During the course of investigation, a computer using a particular Internet protocol (IP) address in Florida was observed offering images of child pornography for distribution. A subsequent investigation revealed that, during the time frame this IP address was seen offering images of child pornography for distribution, the subscriber for this Internet service account was Robert Allen Brammer.

On September 3, 2010, a federal search warrant was executed at Brammer’s residence. During the search, the officers seized, among other things, a laptop computer and a desktop tower computer. Brammer was interviewed and stated that he began searching for and downloading child pornography approximately three-and-a-half years prior, and that he used file-sharing programs to search for and download child pornography from the Internet. Brammer also said that child pornography is “obviously illegal.” Subsequent forensic analysis revealed that Brammer’s computer media contained at least 28 images and 15 videos of child pornography.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, and the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc for more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”