A Wisconsin man with a history of child pornography offenses has been handed a hefty prison sentence following his latest conviction. Brandon R. Gerry, 39, of West Bend was sentenced on September 4, to 150 months in prison for possessing child pornography, specifically noted as child sexual abuse material (CSAM) by the authorities.
The investigation, as detailed by a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Eastern District of Wisconsin, uncovered that Gerry had multiple online accounts on platforms including Discord, MeetMe, Reddit, and MeWe. Through these accounts, he was involved in the possession, receipt, and distribution of CSAM. Gerry’s illegal online activities further included sexualized conversations regarding children, according to court records.
This isn't Gerry's first run-in with the law over such allegations. He was previously convicted in 2018 for distributing child pornography and was sentenced to 60 months' imprisonment at that time. His repeat offense has now led to a longer sentence intended to reflect the gravity of his actions and prevent potential recidivism.
During the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman addressed the severity of Gerry's crime and emphasized the need for a sentence that would serve as a deterrence, to Gerry and to would-be offenders. Following his 12 and a half year sentence, Gerry will be subjected to 10 years of supervised release and will continue to register as a sexual offender under state and federal laws. Projects like Safe Childhood, an initiative by the U.S. Department of Justice, play a significant role in bringing such cases to a close through their concerted efforts to protect children against sexual exploitation and abuse.
The U.S. Attorney's Office's announcement states that Project Safe Childhood and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) lead the charge in harnessing resources from the federal to the local level to track down and prosecute internet-based child sex offenders. The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation for this case, which was then prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Abbey M. Marzick.
