A Tacoma, Washington man has been sentenced to over 13 years in federal prison for crimes involving the online sexual exploitation of a minor, as reported by the Department of Justice. Brandon Kuper, 22, was handed down a 165-month sentence on Tuesday for leveraging social media platforms to manipulate and harm a young person.
Details from court documents reveal that in November 2022, Kuper used messaging apps Discord and Snapchat to coerce the minor into sending him sexually explicit images and videos and to partake in self-harm. According to the press release from the Department of Justice, when the minor resisted Kuper's requests, he retaliated with threats against the minor and their family.
Federal investigators found that Kuper's malicious activities went beyond a single victim; he had engaged multiple minors to produce and send explicit materials. In some extreme cases, he coerced victims into cutting his social media handle into their skin. "Investigators also found revenge pornography that Kuper created and posted of at least one other victim that did not comply with his demands," as mentioned in the same press release. Kuper was apprehended on November 10, 2022, and has been in custody ever since.
The conviction followed Kuper's guilty plea to coercion and the enticement of a minor on November 20, 2024. In the wake of the conviction, authorities are urging anyone with information related to child exploitation to report it to ICE HSI at (866) 347-2423 or online at report.cybertip.org. "This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) with assistance from the Bend Police Department and Deschutes County Sheriff's Office Digital Forensics Laboratory," as stated by the Department of Justice. Kuper will also face ten years of supervised release following his prison term.
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