PHOENIX, AZ (March 22, 2012) – Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Lisa Flores today sentenced Brandon Keith Jones (D.O.B. 7/20/84) to 35 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections for repeatedly molesting his nephew and two other children, all of whom were under the age of six, in 2010. Jones is expected to serve an additional 15 years in federal prison for creating videos of his actions with the victims and distributing this material on the Internet. He will be placed on lifetime supervised probation following his release.
“Thanks to the cooperative efforts of local and national law enforcement agencies, this sexual predator will spend a significantly long period of time behind bars for ruthlessly violating the innocence of three young children of our community,” said Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery. “I am also grateful that federal authorities intend to hold this defendant further accountable for sharing his acts of victimization with others beyond Arizona. Today’s result underscores the determination of my office to decisively punish those who harm children to the fullest extent of the law,” he added.
Jones was apprehended as a result of a Department of Homeland Security investigation into child pornography videos that were initially seen in the Netherlands. After tracking the videos back to a user in the Boston area, ICE served a search warrant on the individual’s computer and discovered that the videos were transmitted by Jones in Mesa. In January, 2011, Homeland Security alerted Mesa Police and a search warrant was served on the residence where Jones was living with his sister and her son. Investigators identified Jones’ nephew as the victim in the videos. A search of Jones’ computer found hundreds of child pornography photographs and videos. When interviewed by investigators, Jones stated he made the videos as a favor to his friend in Boston.
On April 12, 2011, a Maricopa County Grand Jury indicted Jones on 27 counts of Child Molestation, a class 2 felony and Dangerous Crime Against Children. In February, 2012, Jones agreed to plead guilty to 1 count of Child Molestation and four amended counts of Attempted Child Molestation in exchange for a prison sentence of 20 to 35 years followed by lifetime probation.
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