Pedophile Brent Bennett, 55, of 18 1/2 W. Main Street, Norwalk, Ohio, received a 12-year prison term from U.S. District Judge James G. Carr for the receipt and distribution of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM), commonly referred to as child pornography. The judge rendered the sentence on June 10, 2025, following Brent Bennett’s guilty plea to the charges in January. The defendant was ordered to spend five years of supervised release following incarceration and to register as a sex offender in accordance with the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act. He has been mandated to pay compensation of $126,500 to victims and $35,000 to the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Assistance Act. The Act was enacted in 2018 to offer financial support to victims of child sexual assault.
Court filings indicate that between January 19 to March 13, 2023, Brent Bennett utilised peer-to-peer file sharing applications to download and disseminate sexually explicit images and films of minors, including prepubescent females and sadistic representations. In April 2023, during the execution of a federal search warrant, detectives confiscated two cellphones, two laptops, and many digital storage devices from his residence. Forensic examination of Brent Bennett’s electronic equipment disclosed the presence of over 10,000 photographs and almost 1,800 films pertaining to child exploitation. Among them, 6,845 photos and 1,282 films were identified as sexually explicit and confirmed to be classified as CSAM. The graphics were forwarded to the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children for additional examination and to identify victimised minors. A total of 22 victims were identified and provided impact statements to the court.
The investigation also identified Brent Bennett’s IP address as one of the top 10 in the state of Ohio for CSAM downloads at the time.
The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the United States Secret Service.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank H. Spryszak for the Northern District of Ohio.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country and marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.
To report child exploitation, please visit cybertipline.org, or call 1-800-843-5678, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.