Former law enforcement officer sentenced for child sexual enticement

ORLANDO, Fla. — A Florida man was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in federal prison for attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity and for possessing child pornography. This case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.

According to court documents, Brian John McRee, 51, of Jacksonville, attempted to entice a 14-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity. Unbeknownst to him, the “girl” was a law enforcement officer acting in an undercover capacity. McRee initially met the “girl” on a website known to be frequented by individuals who discuss incest and pedophilia. During the next six weeks, McRee communicated with the “girl” over the Internet, engaging her in sexual conversation and grooming her for sex.

On May 17, 2014, McRee traveled to a prearranged location to meet the “girl” for sex and was subsequently arrested. He had in his possession numerous sexual aids, including condoms, alcohol for the child, erectile dysfunction medicine and a digital camera. He also brought with him a laptop and three thumb drives containing 300 images and five videos depicting the sexual abuse and exploitation of young girls. McRee admitted that he had traveled to have sex with the child and that he had downloaded child pornography from the Internet. He also admitted that he had recently been chatting about sex online with a 10-year-old.

McRee previously pleaded guilty on August 28, 2014. In addition to his prison term, he was also to serve a lifetime of supervision following his release from prison and to forfeit the electronic devices that he had used to commit the crimes.

McRee previously worked as a law enforcement officer for several sheriffs’ offices from 1982 through 1999.

This investigation was conducted under HSI's Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 12,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2014, more than 2,000 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI's Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.

HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.