Portage County man sentenced to 33 years in prison for videotaping children using the restroom and having multiple videos of children being raped and sexually assaulted

A Portage County man was sentenced to more than 33 years in prison for videotaping children using the restroom and for having multiple videos of children being raped and sexually assaulted.

Thomas D. Brown, 41, was sentenced to 405 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a child, one count of distributing child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

“These are cases with real victims, children whose lives will be forever changed because adults assaulted and violated them,” U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said. “We will continue to work to prosecute those who re-victimize these children by sharing and downloading these images.”

Brown secretly videotaped acquaintances using the restroom in apartments where he lived. This took place from Jan. 1, 2014, through Dec. 31, 2015, and again from June 1, 2016, through May 22, 2017, according to court documents.

Brown knowingly received and distributed numerous computer files of toddlers and young children being sexually abused. Brown possessed a computer, a Lexar flash drive and an SD card in May 2017, each of which contained child pornography, according to court documents.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael A. Sullivan. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Canton Police Department.