A Worthington church volunteer who taught religion classes for kids is headed to federal prison for more than 13 years after investigators say they uncovered a staggering stash of child sexual abuse material on his devices. When agents served a search warrant at his apartment, authorities say they found him at his computer, in real time, downloading and sharing the illegal images and videos.
According to Scioto Valley Guardian, citing the U.S. Department of Justice, 51-year-old Andrew Brown pleaded guilty in March 2025 to distributing, receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material. A federal judge in Columbus sentenced him to 160 months in prison. Prosecutors said Brown will serve that federal time before he faces any potential immigration consequences.
Peer-to-peer Trail Put Investigators On His Doorstep
Per the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office 2024 annual report, investigators with the county’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force were watching peer-to-peer file-sharing traffic when they spotted an IP address pushing out a large volume of suspected child sexual abuse material. The task force traced that activity to Brown’s residence, executed a search warrant on April 30, 2024, and found him at his computer. Agents seized multiple devices and later identified roughly 15 terabytes of material.
40,000 Files, Church Ties And Prosecutors’ Claims
Court records and reporting indicate investigators located more than 40,000 files that showed minors engaged in sex acts, and some of the material involved infants and toddlers, according to Scioto Valley Guardian. Prosecutors also say Brown volunteered as a religion teacher and youth minister at Worthington Adventist Academy and the Worthington Seventh-day Adventist Church, and that an IP address associated with those locations showed highly active download activity.
Prosecutor’s Account And What Comes Next
Dominick S. Gerace II, the U.S. Attorney, was quoted by federal officials saying Brown “was such a prolific perpetrator that when agents arrived at his apartment to execute a search warrant, he was at his computer actively downloading and exchanging images and videos of children being sexually abused,” according to the Justice Department. The investigation was handled by the Franklin County ICAC Task Force and the FBI and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.
What Investigators Want Parents In Central Ohio To Hear
Local law enforcement officials say the case is a stark example of how ICAC teams quietly monitor digital traffic to find people trading abuse material. They are urging anyone with information to contact the Franklin County ICAC Task Force through the sheriff’s website. The task force offers guidance on how to report tips, lock down home networks and preserve digital evidence so it can be used by investigators.
The size of the collection seized and the length of the sentence have already drawn attention in Worthington. Brown’s conviction and lengthy federal term mark a major outcome in a case that investigators say started with routine peer-to-peer monitoring and ended with what prosecutors describe as long-running, large-scale sharing and possession of child sexual abuse material.
