Denver, Colorado – In a heinous crime, 20-year-old Brandi Leonard was sentenced to 20 years in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for producing child pornography.
On March 11, 2016, Leonard and co-defendant Richard Hennis, 41, were first charged by criminal complaints. They were then indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver on April 5, 2016.
Leonard pleaded guilty on April 13, 2017, and was sentenced on August 3, 2017, by U.S. District Court Judge Philip A. Brimmer. Hennis, who was previously sentenced to 27 years in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, had pleaded guilty on November 21, 2016, and was sentenced on April 19, 2017.
According to evidence presented in open court, Leonard and Hennis engaged in online chats spanning approximately one month. Leonard told Hennis that she had sexually abused an infant, and Hennis encouraged her to sexually abuse the infant again, take pictures or video of the abuse, and send them to him.
Law enforcement recovered the pictures that were produced of the infant from Hennis’s phone. Hennis then sent the sexual abuse images of the infant to another individual he was communicating with online.
During their chats, the two defendants discussed in graphic detail kidnapping, raping, killing, and dismembering a child between the ages of 4 and 8 years old. Leonard twice during the chat indicated that she didn’t intend to go through with it.
“Understand this: federal law enforcement has highly motivated, expert teams standing ready to present the harshest possible punishment if you victimize an infant,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Denver Division and the Colorado Springs Police Department’s ICAC Unit, with support provided by the Limon Police Department.
The defendants were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alecia L. Riewerts, assigned to the Cybercrime and National Security Section of the Colorado U.S. Attorney’s Criminal Division.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation.
Defendant: Brandi Leonard
Criminal Charges: Production of child pornography
City and State: Denver, Colorado
Exact Date: August 3, 2017
Sentence or Outcome: 20 years in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release
Key Facts
- State: Colorado
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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