Fort Myers man sentenced to 20 years for child pornography possession
FORT MYERS, Fla. — A Florida man was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison Monday for possession of child pornography and ordered to forfeit five thumb drives he used to store the illicit material. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Fort Myers Police Department, with assistance from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Cape Coral Police Department.
According to the testimony presented at trial, a new tenant moving into a condo recently vacated by Brian Robert Harling in July 2013found three thumb drives after they fell from molding inside of a closet. The tenant and her mother discovered child pornography on the thumb drives and contacted the police. Officers met with the tenant July 4, 2013, and located two additional thumb drives concealed in the same closet. Ultimately, the police located approximately 3,000 images and approximately 35 videos depicting child pornography on these thumb drives. Harling, 58, was found guilty by a federal jury Dec. 3, 2014.
"Unfortunately, every time a photo or a video of an innocent child being sexually exploited is viewed, that victim is violated again,” said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa. “We owe it to the children affected by these cases to work tirelessly to seek out these predators and ultimately bring them to justice.”
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 10,000 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 2,300 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.
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. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196. 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.
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