Bradenton Man Sentenced to 27 Years on Federal Child Pornography Charges

TAMPA—U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Kovachevich sentenced Brian Leavitt (25, Bradenton) yesterday to 27 years in federal prison for distribution and receipt of child pornography. The court also ordered Leavitt to forfeit a laptop computer and hard drive, which were used in the offense. He pleaded guilty on November 15, 2012.

According to court documents, in July 2010 and December 2010, Leavitt distributed at least 86 files of child pornography from his computer to undercover FBI agents through the use of a peer-to-peer file sharing program. In February 2011, Leavitt’s computer was seized. A forensic search revealed more than 3,800 images and 13 videos of child pornography. Leavitt admitted to law enforcement agents that he had been seeking and downloading images and videos of child pornography. Leavitt had two prior juvenile adjudications for sex offenses against children.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer L. Peresie.

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