Washington man receives 20 years for photographing molestation of 9-year-old
Defendant is serving separate 15-year sentence for child molestation and rape
TACOMA, Wash. – A Chehalis, Washington, man already serving more than 15 years for child molestation and rape received an additional sentence Tuesday to more than 20 years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for production of child pornography.
Brandon K. Phelps, 33, was the subject of a combined investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Seattle Police Department in its role as operator of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force.
According to court documents, Phelps was babysitting three minor children in 2014 when he forced one of them, a 9-year-old girl, to engage in sexually explicit conduct. Phelps took photo documentation of the abuse on his smart phone and described his actions to others via email communications. Additionally, Phelps took sexually explicit photos of another young girl while she slept.
In October 2014, law enforcement received a cyber-tip concerning Phelps’ online exchange of child pornography with others. He was arrested in January 2015.
“Repeat child predators like Phelps must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” said Brad Bench, special agent in charge of HSI Seattle. “Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies will continue pursuing safe communities through a combined commitment to rid Washington of these perverted criminals.”
In February, Phelps was sentenced to 185 months in prison for child molestation for an incident that occurred in 2009 when he pulled a 10-year-old’s bathing suite aside to view her bare vagina, watched her shower and offered to display his naked body to her. Phelps also has a previous conviction for raping his adult girlfriend while she was incapacitated.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Grady Leupold in coordination with the Lewis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
At the sentencing hearing earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle imposed a 228-month federal sentence on top of an 18-month sentence Phelps had already served in state custody.
“Deterrence is very important ...,” Judge Settle said. “Word must be out there for others like you that if you engage in these crimes [child sex offenses], you will receive very long sentences.”
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 16,000 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 2016, more than 2,600 child predators were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 800 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 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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