Florida Man Sentenced To 80 Years For Producing And Distributing Child Sexual Abuse Material

Orlando, Florida - U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza has sentenced Brett Avery Tipton (42, Rockledge) to 80 years in federal prison for producing and distributing child sexual abuse material. The Court also ordered Tipton to forfeit the device used in the commission of the offense and to register as a sex offender. Tipton had entered a guilty plea on July 24, 2024.

According to court documents, from approximately 2020 through 2021, Tipton groomed a minor victim (who was 12 years old when they met) and, through online gaming and social media platforms, convinced the victim to create pornographic images and videos of himself for Tipton. In return, Tipton sent gifts and food to the victim. Tipton also used the victim to "bait" other children on the internet into creating child sexual abuse material. Further, Tipton groomed a second minor victim and similarly convinced this victim to send pornographic pictures and videos of himself to Tipton in exchange for gifts. At one point, Tipton met the second victim in person and attempted to lure the victim into a public restroom for oral sex.

Lastly, Tipton was also active in online chat groups, where he shared child sexual abuse material and instructed that other members would need to also share material or be removed.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Emily Chang, Robert Sowell, and Courtney Richardson-Jones.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.