NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — Brian Scott Ellis, 50, admitted in federal court to attempting to produce and possessing child pornography, including graphic videos of a sleeping teenage girl and thousands of illicit images involving minors as young as toddlers.
Ellis pleaded guilty to two federal charges: attempted production of child pornography and possession of child pornography. For the attempted production count, he faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and up to 30 years. On the possession charge, he could be sentenced to an additional 20 years behind bars.
According to court documents, Ellis tried to record a sexually explicit video of a young teenage girl while she slept inside his home. The act was part of a broader pattern of predatory behavior that included collecting 2,597 still images and 1,807 videos of child sexual abuse material, some of which depicted toddlers.
The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which traced the digital footprint leading to Ellis’s arrest. Federal agents executed a search warrant at his New Port Richey residence, seizing electronic devices loaded with illegal content.
Assistant United States Attorney Frank Murray is prosecuting the case, which was brought under Project Safe Childhood — a Justice Department initiative launched in 2006 to combat the proliferation of child sexual exploitation. The program coordinates federal, state, and local law enforcement to dismantle networks of abuse and rescue victims.
Ellis remains in federal custody pending sentencing. His guilty plea marks another conviction in Florida’s relentless crackdown on child exploitation. For more information on Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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