April 29, 2009

Prior sex offender sentenced to life for criminal sexual conduct
Former child gymnastics instructor manufactured and distributed child pornography

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. - Bryan Brown, 39, of Warren, Mich., was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility for parole in the Macomb County Michigan Circuit Court for criminal sexual conduct in the first degree involving a person under the age of 13 years.

"This sentence reflects the particularly heinous nature of the crimes," said Brian Moskowitz, special agent in charge of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Investigations for Michigan and Ohio. "ICE relentlessly pursues predators who sexually abuse children. Our agents will be vigilante in our efforts to pursue, investigate and bring to justice those individuals who exploit the most vulnerable in our society, our children."

Brown was previously convicted in 1999 in Illinois for multiple counts of criminal sexual conduct involving at least three children. At that time Brown was an instructor at a gymnastics facility in Hanover Park, Ill., where it has been proved that he sexually assaulted several students, including a five-year-old female.

The joint investigation with the local police department revealed that Brown had a video in his possession that he produced which contained approximately 10 minutes of content constituting child pornography and criminal sexual conduct involving a five-year-old victim. Brown also had more than 800 images of child pornography on his home computer.

This case was investigated under Operation Predator, a nationwide ICE initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders and child sex traffickers. Since Operation Predator was launched in July 2003, ICE agents have arrested more than 11,600 individuals.

ICE encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE. This hotline is staffed around the clock by investigators.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com.

-- ICE --

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was established in March 2003 as the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. ICE is comprised of five integrated divisions that form a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities.

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