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Hunter Lavon Brown of Deatsville Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Pornography

From Doug Howard

Law Enforcement Coordinator/Public Information Officer

U.S. Attorney’s Office – Middle District of Alabama

Montgomery, Alabama – On Monday, August 10, 2020, Hunter Lavon Brown, a 26-year-old from Deatsville, Alabama, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Louis V. Franklin, Sr. and FBI Special Agent in Charges James Jewell.

According to court documents, on January 10, 2019, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a cyber-tip from Google that there was possible child pornography materials being uploaded to a Google Photos account. FBI agents reviewed the information and identified Brown’s address as being involved in the uploads and discovered that the Google account was registered to Brown with an email address associated with him.

On August 22, 2019, agents executed a search warrant at Brown’s residence and seized a number of electronic devices. Brown was present at the time of the search and admitted to having child pornography images on the devices being seized. The agents reviewed the materials they found and identified suspected child pornography images, which was later confirmed by NCMEC. Further forensic analysis of the electronic devices revealed that Brown knowingly searched and downloaded child pornography, which he admitted during his plea hearing. He also admitted that some of the child porn images contained beastiality.

Brown was arrested on August 22, 2019 after a complaint was issued against him on child pornography charges and he has been in custody since that date. He was indicted by a grand jury on September 11, 2019. His sentencing hearing will be scheduled in the next few months and he is facing up to 20 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000.00. He will also be subject to a period of supervised release from five years to life.

 “Crimes against children are despicable and, despite the ongoing national health crisis, they are on the rise,” stated U.S. Attorney Franklin. “Child pornography is a particularly disturbing crime that has a continuing and long lasting impact on its victims, re-injuring them each time their images are downloaded and shared. My office places a priority on prosecuting these cases and will continue to work with law enforcement to identify those that exploit our children.”

“The FBI will continue to use every resource available to locate and arrest suspects who possess and seek photos of children being victimized,” said SAC Jewell. “Child pornography leaves behind a trail of young people whose innocence was taken from them and we will work tirelessly to bring justice to these victims.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated this case, with assistance from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Assistant United States Attorney Russell Duraski is prosecuting the case.