A Kingsford man has been sentenced to 360 months in federal prison for sexually exploiting a minor, according to an announcement by Timothy VerHey, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan. Dalton Wayne Braun, age 36, received the sentence from U.S. District Judge Robert J. Jonker, who described the circumstances as involving “truly egregious facts.” Following his release from prison, Braun will also be subject to 120 months of supervised release.
Braun admitted in court that he recorded himself sexually abusing a minor child in July 2024 and distributed the video over the internet.
“Dalton Braun repeatedly abused a small child, who was not even old enough to voice the abuse he was suffering. No one should tolerate such abuse and my office certainly will not. I commend my staff and our law enforcement partners for their diligence,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey.
Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office, stated: “Crimes committed against children are some of the most unforgivable and those who commit them deserve severe and lasting consequences. The maximum sentence imposed on Dalton Braun demonstrates the gravity of his depraved actions and the severe impact it had on children across the United States. I am grateful for the dedicated efforts of FBI Detroit’s Marquette Resident Agency, FBI Milwaukee’s Green Bay Resident Agency, the Michigan State Police, the Kingsford Department of Public Safety, the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan for protecting the most vulnerable members in our communities by stopping Mr. Braun before he could commit another heinous offense.”
The investigation into this case was led by several agencies including FBI Marquette Resident Agency, Michigan State Police, Kingsford Department of Public Safety, and Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office. Information gathered during this investigation has resulted in six additional child victims being rescued from abusive environments; five more federal indictments; and two arrests at state or local levels.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood—an initiative started by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at fighting child sexual exploitation through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local agencies to locate offenders using online means as well as rescue victims nationwide. More details about Project Safe Childhood can be found at justice.gov/PSC.
