SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - A Lebanon, Missouri, man was sentenced in federal court today for producing child pornography.
Michael Brannon, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 15 years in federal prison without parole.
On Aug. 5, 2019, Brannon pleaded guilty to producing child pornography.
According to court documents, Facebook submitted a CyberTipline report to law enforcement in June 2018 regarding an online conversation between Brannon and the 16-year-old victim, identified in court documents as “Jane Doe #1." During the course of the chat, which was sexual in nature, Jane Doe #1 transmitted pornographic images to Brannon at his request.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Lebanon, Mo., Police Department, and the Lake Area Cyber Crimes Task Force.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
