Asheville federal court: Indiana man guilty of distributing child pornography in WNC
ASHEVILLE — A federal jury in Asheville found an Indiana man guilty Jan. 4 of distributing and transporting child pornography in Western North Carolina by use of chat rooms on the dark web, as announced by U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Dena J. King.
Brandon Keith Hardy, 44, of Bremen, Indiana, was also convicted of making notice or offering participation by a minor in an act of sexually explicit conduct, according to a verdict sheet obtained by the Citizen Times.
Hardy is currently in federal custody, but a sentencing date had not been set at the time of the news release.
According to law enforcement, Hardy and an undercover agent with Homeland Security Investigations engaged in conversation starting around Oct. 12, 2022, until Jan. 11, 2023, as stated in motion from the defendant’s attorney.
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During these conversations, Hardy allegedly sent an undercover agent three dark web links to images of child pornography over an encrypted text messaging platform, according to the announcement and court documents.
Law enforcement determined that Hardy had been using chatrooms on the dark web to traffic child sexual abuse material and to solicit sexual activity with a minor. Spokesperson Lia Bantavani with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina confirmed that Hardy transported and distributed the child pornography in WNC.
“Evidence presented at trial also established that Hardy possessed a collection of child pornography on his phone, expressed his interest in engaging in sexual activity with a child, and said he had sexually abused other children,” the announcement said.
Hardy was arrested on Feb. 14, 2023, in South Bend, Indiana, according to court documents. He first appeared in Asheville federal court on March 27, 2023.
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“Hardy’s conviction reflects the important work we do every day to keep children safe and prosecute those who seek to harm them,” King said in the announcement. “Child predators using anonymous online networks and encryption walls to exploit children and evade justice will not deter our mission.”
While a sentencing date has not been set, Hardy’s charges of transportation of child pornography and distribution of child pornography each carry a minimum statutory sentence of five years and a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The notice of child pornography charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
This case was a part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative marshalling federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet. Project Safe Childhood was launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice.
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Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at rober@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Indiana man found guilty of distributing child pornography in WNC
