BEAUMONT, Texas - A 39-year-old Beaumont, Texas man has been indicted for child pornography violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown today.
Brandon Michael Wyatt was named in a three-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury on Oct. 2, 2019, charging him with possession of child pornography, distribution of child pornography, and receipt of child pornography.
According to the indictment, on June 17, 2019, Wyatt was in possession of a digital media card that contained at least one visual depiction of a pre-pubescent minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The indictment also alleges that from Sep. 5, 2018 to Dec. 6, 2018, Wyatt received and distributed visual depictions that involved the use of a person under the age of 18 engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
If convicted, Wyatt faces up to ten years in federal prison.
This case is being prosecuted 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, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and the Office of the Attorney General - Louisiana Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher T. Tortorice is prosecuting the case.
It is important to note that an indictment should not be considered as evidence of guilt and that all persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
