Brian O’Brien, a 43-year-old resident of East Aurora, New York, has been sentenced to nine years in prison and 30 years of supervised release after being convicted of receiving child pornography. U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo handed down the sentence. O’Brien is also required to register as a sex offender.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan K. Glaberson, between June 2022 and July 19, 2023, O’Brien used Snapchat and WhatsApp to receive, view, and upload images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct on his cell phone. During this period, he communicated with an individual in Phoenix, Arizona through WhatsApp about sexually abusing children and shared files containing child pornography.
From December 2022 to May 2023, O’Brien exchanged text messages with someone identified as “J.J.” He solicited J.J. to find a minor boy for sexual abuse. J.J. gave him the contact information for someone claiming to be a 15-year-old boy. O’Brien then negotiated with this individual for sex acts and agreed to pay both the purported minor and J.J., as well as offering drugs.
Law enforcement searched O’Brien’s home in July 2023 under a warrant and seized several electronic devices including two cell phones, a hard drive, and a laptop computer. More than 2,000 images and videos depicting child pornography were recovered from these devices.
“This case highlights the lengths that predators will go in their attempts to abuse children,” said U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo. “Thankfully, this defendant was unsuccessful in his attempts but let this serve as a reminder of how important it is for adults and minors to be vigilant online.”
Philip Tejera, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI’s Buffalo Field Office stated: “The FBI has zero tolerance for any adult, like Brian O’Brien, who preys upon the innocence of children. Today’s sentencing reiterates that those who exploit children will be held accountable for their actions.”
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation under Special Agent-in-Charge Philip Tejera along with the New York State Police led by Major Amie Feroleto.
