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October 16, 2012

Area man sentenced in child porn case

The Port Arthur News

BEAUMONT — A 32-year-old Orange man has been sentenced to federal prison for child pornography violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales today.

Thomas Robert Brown pleaded guilty on May 31, to possession of child pornography and was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison Monday by U.S. District Judge Thad Heartfield.

According to information presented in court, on April 29, 2011, law enforcement officers and agents executed a federal search warrant at Brown’s residence in Orange. Brown admitted to agents that he used the Internet to search for, download and view child pornography.   A laptop computer with an external hard drive was seized during the search.  A forensic analysis of the computer and hard drive revealed 32 videos of child pornography, some of which included prepubescent minors younger than 12 years of age engaged in sadistic or masochistic behavior.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case was investigated by the HSI/ICE, the Beaumont Police Department, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, the United States Marshal Service, and the West Orange Police Department.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher T. Tortorice.

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