Kokomo man sentenced to 72 months for distributing child pornography
A 33-year-old man from Kokomo, Indiana, has been sentenced to 72 months in prison for distributing child pornography, U.S. authorities announced.
Brandon Tooley, a resident of Kokomo, Indiana, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sarah Evans Barker to 72 months (six years) for distribution of child pornography, according to Acting United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler.
This Office initiated Operation Community Watch over two years ago with an unwavering resolve to find and prosecute those who exploit our children," Minkler said. "You are not anonymous online and if you engage in this type of behavior, you will be held accountable.
The case against Tooley began on October 2, 2013, when a federal search warrant was executed on his Yahoo! Inc. email account. Agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), discovered emails distributed and received by Tooley that were determined to contain image and video files of child pornography.
Two days later, agents acting in an undercover capacity made contact over Yahoo! Messenger with Tooley. During that conversation, Tooley distributed to the agents an image which was determined to be of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
On October 7, 2013, federal agents served a search warrant at Tooley’s residence. Agents located an HP desktop computer in the living room of the residence next to the television which was being used as a monitor for the computer. A forensic analysis of the HP desktop computer revealed approximately 45 videos and over 100 images of child pornography.
This case was investigated by HSI and the Hamilton County Metro Child Exploitation Task Force.
Those who trade child pornography over the Internet mistakenly believe that cyberspace shields them from detection by law enforcement," said Gary Hartwig, special agent in charge for HSI Chicago. However, as this sentence makes abundantly clear, child sex predators will be caught, prosecuted, and handed the justice they deserve for their despicable actions.
Tooley faces ten years of supervised release after serving his sentence, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney MaryAnn T. Mindrum, who prosecuted this case for the government.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006. The greatest measure of the PSC program’s impact is the identification and rescue of child victims of sexual exploitation and abuse.
Related Federal Cases
- Timothy Ryan, Child Pornography Distribution, Indiana 2015 · Indiana
- Michael Swiger, Child Pornography Distribution, Indiana 2022 · Indiana
- Lawrence Tinsman, Distribution of Child Pornography, Indiana 2013 · Alaska
- Marcus Horston, Production and Distribution of Child Pornography, Indiana 2025 · New Hampshire
- Ronald E. Wheaton, Distribution of Child Pornography, Indiana 2014 · North Carolina
Key Facts
- State: Indiana
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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