PHILADELPHIA, PA — Bradley Michael Coleman, 39, of Strausstown, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release for accessing child pornography. He was also ordered to pay $35,000 in restitution. The sentencing was announced by United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero and issued by United States District Court Judge Joseph F. Leeson, Jr., on Wednesday, July 17, 2024.
Coleman pleaded guilty on April 22, 2024, to one count of accessing with intent to view child pornography. This plea came after his previous conviction in Berks County for possessing child pornography. Prosecutors revealed that Coleman used digital currency to attempt to buy access to child sexual abuse material on the Darkweb. Forensic experts found nearly 900 images of child pornography on his electronic devices, many of which depicted very young victims.
“After having been convicted and imprisoned for this vile behavior once before, Bradley Coleman again sought out horrific images of young children being sexually abused,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “If consumers of child pornography can’t or won’t stop acquiring it, which only perpetuates the sexual exploitation of child victims, we and our law enforcement partners will gladly step in and stop them.”
HSI Philadelphia’s Acting Special Agent in Charge, Sara Bay, highlighted the role of cyber currency expertise in the investigation. “HSI’s expertise in the evolving cyber currency domain has proven crucial to investigating the exploitation of children by criminals operating online,” she said. “Through our outstanding partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, we continue to investigate and prosecute those individuals who prey on our children.”
The case was part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. This initiative coordinates federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals exploiting children online, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, and the case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rebecca J. Kulik and Priya T. DeSouza.
This sentencing serves as a stark warning to those who engage in such illegal activities, emphasizing the commitment of law enforcement to protect children from exploitation.
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