Rodney Bryant, Child Pornography, Georgia 2020

A Chatham County man has admitted to producing and possessing child pornography, canceling his trial in Brunswick.

Rodney Bryant, 37, of Savannah, pleaded guilty to Production of Child Pornography and Possession of Child Pornography in U.S. District Court, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.

The production charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, up to 30, along with five years to life of supervised release, substantial financial penalties and restitution, and registration upon release as a sex offender.

“Pedophiles who produce child pornography and share it on the Internet doom exploited children to a lifetime of victimization,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “Thanks to the diligence and determination of our law enforcement partners and prosecutors, Rodney Bryant will be held accountable for these heinous crimes.”

Agents from Homeland Security Investigations and the Savannah Police Department searched Bryant’s residence in 2020 after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children provided cybertips regarding images of child sexual abuse to the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Investigators later seized dozens of electronic devices from Bryant’s home, and found thousands of images of child sexual abuse and child erotica on those devices. The investigation determined Bryant produced many of those images in Georgia and at his previous residence in Fort Drum, N.Y.

Bryant had been scheduled for a jury trial, but it was canceled by his guilty plea to key charges in the case. Sentencing before U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood will be held after completion of a pre-sentencing investigation by U.S. Probation Services.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Savannah Police Department, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer J. Kirkland and Project Safe Childhood Coordinator Tara M. Lyons.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdga/pr/chatham-county-man-admits-producing-possessing-child-pornography