Mercer County Man Sentenced For Sharing Images Of Child Porn: Authorities

A Mercer County man has been sentenced to 11 years, three months in prison for distributing images of child sexual abuse from his home computer, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced on Tuesday.

Shawn Brown, 35, of Ewing, previously pleaded guilty to one count of a three-count indictment charging him with distributing child pornography over the Internet. He is also subject to a lifetime of supervised release.

Brown admitted that on July 14, 2013, he sent a video depicting child sexual abuse to another person over the Internet using instant messaging software, according to documents filed in the case and statements made in court.

Authorities first learned of Brown’s conduct when an undercover agent discovered and downloaded images and videos containing child pornography that Brown had made available to users of a peer-to-peer file sharing network.

Law enforcement traced the username and IP address of the sharer back to Brown’s residence. They then executed a search warrant at Brown’s home.

A review of the electronic devices seized during that search revealed that Brown had been using aliases to contact underage girls online via instant messaging software and social media. In order to do so, he had created a fake profile and posed as a teenage boy.