CHILD EXPLOITER SENTENCED TO 40 YEARS IN PRISON

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - On March 28, 2007, U.S. District Judge W. Harold Albritton of the Middle District of Alabama sentenced 24-year-old Robert Floyd Brown, Jr., of Dothan, Alabama, to 40 years in federal prison for four counts of production of child pornography, one count of possession of child pornography and one count of transporting child pornography, announced United States Attorney Leura G. Canary. The Court also sentenced Brown to lifetime supervision upon his release from prison. Brown pled guilty to these federal charges on October 19, 2006.

Posing as a woman, Brown chatted online with teenage boys and enticed them to transmit sexually explicit images of themselves via the internet. Brown recorded those sexually explicit videos on his computer without the knowledge or consent of the teenagers. Brown then threatened the teens with public distribution of the recordings and engaged in sadistic, cruel and degrading online chats with them in order to induce them to perform other sexual acts and transmit them via web cam as Brown directed. Brown also recorded those acts. His victims included a 14-year-old and 10-year-old in Kansas, a 14-year-old and 15-year-old in Colorado, and a 15-year-old in Texas.

Brown also engaged in sexually explicit chats with an adult male, again while posing as a woman. Brown later threatened to publicly distribute the adult's online chats to the adult's friends and family unless the adult engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including masturbation and fellatio, with a baby in the home, represented to be nine months old. At Brown's direction, the adult male transmitted footage of the sexual acts with the baby to Brown's computer via web cam, and Brown recorded the images. The baby, not yet identified, is believed to be in Australia.

When Brown's personal computer was searched in August 2005, law enforcement discovered several "movies" in a computer folder labeled "blackmail." The movies depicted persons who appeared to be minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

These crimes were discovered by investigators after one victim's mother contacted law enforcement. Subsequent investigation revealed the additional victims. At Brown's sentencing, two of the victims' mothers testified about the profound negative impact that Brown's crimes had on their children and their entire families. One mother spoke of her son's transformation after the crime from a well-liked, confident and outgoing teenager into a withdrawn, cynical teenager who lost all respect for authority figures.

U.S. Attorney Leura G. Canary of the Middle District of Alabama stated, "We are extremely pleased with Mr. Brown's 40-year sentence. Mr. Brown's use of the Internet to sexually abuse, threaten and intimidate children was profoundly evil. Because of the Internet, his crimes victimized children not only in the United States but as far away as Australia. The world is safer for our children with Mr. Brown behind bars. I commend the brave mother of one of the victims who first brought this matter to the attention of law enforcement. I also commend the fine investigative efforts of the local FBI office, the Dothan Police Department and all our other law enforcement partners who worked vigilantly to bring this man to justice. Our office will steadfastly pursue all predators of children who violate federal laws, and we will continue to seek lengthy prison sentences for the offenders."

"The protection of our children, one of our country's greatest assets, is a mission the FBI will continue to fight with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners," stated Special Agent in Charge Debra K. Mack, FBI Mobile Field Office. "The successful investigation and conviction of Robert Floyd Brown, Jr., is just another example of the need to protect our children from these cyber predators. The lengthy prison sentence issued yesterday sends the message that these heinous acts committed on our children will not go unpunished. The FBI is proud to be a part of Project Safe Childhood and will continue to be proactive in child sexual exploitation matters."

Police Chief John Powell of the Dothan Police Department stated, "This lengthy sentence fits the crime committed by this individual. Anyone who preys on the innocence of our children as Mr. Brown did should be locked away for a long time so our children can feel safer. I appreciate the assistance the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office provided in helping to get this individual off the streets."

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In May 2006, the U.S. Department of Justice launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices, 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, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.