WEST CHESTER, PA — On Tuesday, Judge Carmody sentenced Cristian Brown, 21, of West Chester, to 7-14 years in state prison followed by 11 years of probation for the possession of child pornography. The defendant was found guilty by a jury of seven felony counts of possession of child pornography and criminal use of a communication facility on March 2, 2023.
“By using the dark web to further his predatory behavior of children the defendant was able to obtain and possess hundreds of the most horrific images of child pornography. Each one of these images is a real victim who will suffer these indignities and violations indefinitely,” said Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan. “The sentence imposed by the judge will help ensure justice for the hundreds of nameless victims, while also protecting community members from this dangerous individual. We thank the investigators, prosecutors, and Delaware County ICAC Task Force for their assistance in these important cases.”
Information presented in court revealed that on May 24, 2021, the Chester County Detectives began an investigation based on information from the Delaware County Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. The ICAC Task Force received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that identified a user in possession of child pornography. Through their investigation they obtained a username, email information, and internet protocol address (IP address) that led them to a residence in West Chester Borough, Chester County. They found that the account belonged to the defendant.
Investigators determined that the user of the IP address uploaded 2 images of child pornography that were viewed on May 8, 2021. On July 13, 2021, police executed a search warrant at the defendant’s residence and seized 6 computer devices.
Computer forensic analysts found 700 images of child pornography on one of the computers used by the defendant. The entire library of images recovered depicted child victims between the ages of 2 and 14 years old who were sexually assaulted.
Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan commended the Chester County Detectives for the investigation which led to the successful prosecution of Cristian Brown. ADAs Sam Bonsall and Monica Szyszkiewicz were the assigned prosecutors.
The PA Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) provides personnel and funding for investigations related to the exploitation of children on the Internet. ICAC is funded through a grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention, based in Washington, DC. In Chester County, the ICAC Task Force comprises investigators from Chester County Detectives and local municipalities.
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