An Albany man, previously registered as a sex offender, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison on counts of child pornography offenses. Stephen Brisee, who also went by Sage Brisee, pleaded guilty to distribution, receipt, and possession of materials involving the sexual exploitation of minors, the U.S. Attorney's Office reported.
In an egregious case that highlights the persistent dangers certain individuals pose to society, even post-incarceration, Brisee, age 31, had been out of state prison for less than six months before he engaged once again in criminal activity. According to the announcement made by United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Erin Keegan from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Brisee admitted to receiving and distributing appalling videos of children—some as young as 6 months—being sexually abused.
A deeper probe into Brisee's phone revealed a larger collection of child pornography. His previous conviction involved promoting a sexual performance by a child, for which he was already subjected to post-release supervision at the time of his latest offenses. Upon sentencing, Brisee was ordered by United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino to a subsequent 20-year term of supervised release and to pay restitution of $3,000. Moreover, he will once again be required to register as a sex offender after his release from prison.
"This conduct was especially egregious because the defendant was released from prison for another child pornography offense less than six months before. With our law enforcement partners my office will continue to take all available actions to hold sex offenders accountable to the fullest extent to the law when they commit new crimes,” United States Attorney Sarcone was quoted in a statement obtained by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The case was investigated by HSI and prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative that seeks to combat the troubling increase in child sexual exploitation and abuse. Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan remarked on the significance of Brisee's conviction: "Our community is significantly safer with this repeat sex offender no longer roaming freely." For more information on the initiative and other cases like Brisee's, the public can visit Project Safe Childhood's website, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
