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An Indiana man faces 30 years in prison after being convicted in federal court of the sexual exploitation of children.
Gerald Talman Brann, 43, of Valparaiso, was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio and ordered to pay restitution of $100,000 along with $10,000 under the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018 for one count of sexual exploitation of children, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.
According to court documents, Brann shared images depicting a 10-year-old child in an online instant messaging service between Dec. 25, 2022 and Jan. 4, 2023.
The images depicted the minor in various stages of undress and were sexual in nature. The images also depicted the child at various ages, beginning around the age of five or six.
Law enforcement agents seized numerous devices during an executed search warrant at the residence of Brann and his co-defendant, Veronica Solis, in Valparaiso.
Cell phones contained images and videos depicting child sexual abuse material, some of which had been produced while the couple resided in the San Antonio area. Brann was arrested March 23, 2023 in New Jersey and has remained in custody.
He pleaded guilty Nov. 28, 2023.
Solis is scheduled to be sentenced July 16. She pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of children Dec. 5, 2023 and faces 15 to 30 years in prison.
“The sexual abuse and exploitation of children is an absolutely horrific offense,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas in a release. “My office continues to prioritize the most vulnerable victims in our society, and the court’s sentence of the statutory maximum penalty is appropriate for offenders like Gerald Brann, who go to great lengths to wreak havoc on the lives of innocent children. I also thank our partners at the FBI San Antonio and FBI Indianapolis field offices for their collaboration to investigate this case with Indiana State Police.”
The FBI investigated the case with assistance from the Indiana State Police.
“This case is an excellent example of how the FBI works across field offices to bring predators to justice,” said Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp of the FBI’s San Antonio Field Office in a release. “We want to thank our colleagues at FBI Indianapolis and the Indiana State Police for helping to ensure that Gerald Brann is behind bars and unable to hurt another child.”
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