Garrett Brosnan, Attempting to Transfer Obscene Matter to a Minor, Maine 2023

Garrett Brosnan, 25, of Bath, Maine, is going to federal prison for attempting to send an explicit image to a minor, closing a disturbing case that began with a digital trail of deception. Brosnan was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to one year and one day behind bars, followed by two years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to attempting to transfer obscene matter to a minor. The sentence was handed down by Judge Jon D. Levy, marking the end of a probe that exposed the dangers lurking in online chat spaces.

According to court records, in May of last year, agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) launched an investigation after reports surfaced of an adult male engaging in inappropriate communications with a 14-year-old girl in Arizona. Digital evidence quickly zeroed in on Brosnan as the suspect. HSI agents set up an undercover operation, with an investigator posing as the teenage girl in online conversations.

The facade held. By June 2, Brosnan had sent the undercover investigator a photo of himself exposing his penis—proof that he believed he was communicating with a minor. That single image became the cornerstone of the federal case against him. The exchange was not just reckless—it was criminal, and federal law came down hard.

Assistant United States Attorney Craig M. Wolff, who prosecuted the case, emphasized that online predators will be tracked and prosecuted regardless of state lines. “This investigation spanned Maine and Arizona,” Wolff said, “but the message is national: we are watching, and we will act.” The coordinated effort between HSI offices in Portland and Phoenix proved pivotal in building the case swiftly and thoroughly.

Brosnan’s guilty plea on September 14, 2016, cut short a trial but did nothing to soften the consequences. One year and a day ensures federal custody, eligibility for good behavior reduction, and mandatory registration as a sex offender upon release. The two-year supervised release period will include strict internet use monitoring.

U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II reiterated the Department of Justice’s commitment to protecting children in the digital age. “Predators who exploit the anonymity of the internet to target minors will face serious time,” he said. For Garrett Brosnan, that time starts now.

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