Rockledge Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Distribution and Possession of Child Pornography
| U.S. Attorney’s Office October 25, 2012 |
ORLANDO, FL—U.S. District Judge John Antoon, II sentenced Brandon Kyle Thomas (25, Rockledge) today to 10 years in federal prison for distribution and possession of child pornography. Thomas was also ordered to serve a 10-year term of supervised release and to register as a sex offender, upon his release from prison. Thomas was convicted of the charges by a federal jury on June 26, 2012.
According to evidence presented at trial, Thomas used a peer-to-peer program to download and distribute child pornography over the Internet. On December 1, 2010, an FBI task force agent in Virginia downloaded several files of child pornography from an Internet Protocol (IP) address that was traced to a residence in Rockledge, Florida. On April 26, 2011, FBI agents went to the residence and interviewed Thomas. During the meeting, Thomas admitted that he had used a peer-to-peer program to download and distribute child pornography. He consented to a search of his computer and several CD-ROMs. A forensic examination of the items revealed that Thomas’ computer and one of his CD-ROMs contained child pornography.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Roger B. Handberg and Shawn P. Napier.
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.”