Hardy Lee Browner, a 37-year-old Chicago resident, was sentenced to a 15-year term in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges of soliciting a minor for commercial sex and misleading the FBI regarding his social media activity supporting ISIS. According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Browner's plea agreement acknowledged his use of multiple social media accounts to not only interact with individuals connected to the terrorist group but also to publicly express beliefs aligned with their extremist ideology.
U.S. District Judge Andrea R. Wood, after meting out the sentence on Wednesday, ordered Browner to be placed under court supervision for five years following his release from prison. Using various accounts on the now-defunct Twitter platform, Browner communicated with a media arm of ISIS and made public posts about jihad, martyrdom, and the extremist group. During FBI interviews, lying about the extent of his online activities, Browner falsely claimed he hadn't used the accounts or engaged with certain users, which included the ISIS media outlet.
The gravity of Browner's criminal activities was further underscored by his illegal interactions with a minor. The solicitation charge details Browner's attempts to traffic a minor — someone he was in a sexual relationship with. The defendant connected with the minor via Instagram, and through texts and calls, establishing contact that eventually led to multiple sexual encounters. In addition to providing cash and gifts, Browner made steps to sell the minor's sexual services to others; however, his arrest interrupted these plans before they could materialize.
Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Morris Pasqual, along with Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI's Chicago Field Office, announced the sentence.
During the case's prosecution, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Barry Jonas and Julia Schwartz conveyed the severity of Browner's offenses in their sentencing memorandum. "The defendant disrespected law enforcement agents and sought to thwart the FBI’s mission in defending against terrorist organizations," they argued. Highlighting the repugnance of child trafficking, the prosecutors further added, "Traffickers operating today should receive the message that if you traffic children in the Chicagoland area, the sentence will be severe."
