A Byron, Georgia resident, Clarence L. Brown II, has been sentenced to a decade in prison followed by ten years of supervised release for possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). This sentencing comes after he was caught downloading explicit images of children while on federal supervised release for a similar offense. U.S. District Judge Marc T. Treadwell handed down the sentence on March 5, following Brown's guilty plea on December 19, 2024.
Brown's previous conviction in the Middle District of Florida involved receipt and possession of child pornography. As part of this case, his supervised release was revoked, leading to an additional ten-month consecutive prison term and concurrent ten-year supervised release upon completion of his initial sentence. Post-release, Brown will be required to register as a sex offender.
Acting U.S. Attorney C. Shanelle Booker emphasized the seriousness with which these crimes are prosecuted: “Viewing and sharing explicit images of children being sexually abused is a federal crime that our office will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.” She added that holding online child predators accountable remains a priority for federal prosecutors and law enforcement partners.
GBI Director Chris Hosey commented on the persistence of such offenses: "Clarence L. Brown's actions are a tragic reminder of the persistence of individuals who prey on children, despite previous consequences." He affirmed GBI's commitment to investigating and prosecuting those involved in CSAM-related crimes.
The investigation began on June 8, 2021, when GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit conducted an undercover operation identifying individuals downloading CSAM. That day, agents discovered video files downloaded by Brown depicting prepubescent girls with adult males. Subsequent searches at Brown’s residences uncovered multiple devices containing at least nine video files showing sexual abuse involving children under twelve.
Brown had previously been convicted in July 2017 for similar offenses in Florida but violated his supervised release less than a year after it commenced in November 2020 by again possessing child pornography in Georgia.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse—coordinating resources across federal, state, and local levels to apprehend offenders and rescue victims.
The investigation was led by GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit with support from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Daniels is handling prosecution duties for this case.