Branson sex offender sentenced to 12 years for child pornography following HSI probe

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A three-time convicted sex offender in Branson has been sentenced in federal court for possessing child pornography following a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and joint law enforcement partner investigation.

Andrew David Ferrill, 35, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes June 28, to 12 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Ferrill to spend 20 years on supervised release following incarceration.

The sentence includes an enhancement for obstruction of justice. According to court documents, Ferrill intentionally attempted to destroy his Apple iPad when he overheard law enforcement officers speaking to his mother when they arrived to execute a search warrant at his parents’ residence, where he lived. He also uninstalled the Kik application from his iPad.

On Oct. 21, 2021, Ferrill pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child pornography. Ferrill admitted that he uploaded an image of child pornography to the Kik application.

On Aug. 10, 2020, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Ferill’s residence. He admitted to investigators that he used an iPad to access the internet and Kik to view child pornography.

Ferrill was convicted in a general court martial on Feb. 18, 2010, while he was enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, of aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecent acts with a 14-year-old victim, as well as production, receipt, and possession of child pornography under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Ferrill also was convicted of sexual abuse for assaulting a co-worker in Taney County, Nov. 30, 2018. He was on probation for that state offense at the time of this federal offense.

It was investigated by HSI and the South-Central Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller.

Learn more about HSI’s mission to combat child exploitation in your community on Twitter, @HSIKansasCity.

HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 7,100 special agents assigned to 220 cities throughout the United States, and 80 overseas locations in 53 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.