LI Man Posed As Teen On Snapchat To Sexually Exploit Young Girls: Feds

CENTRAL ISLIP, NY — A Bayport man has been accused of exploiting numerous victims — some as young as 12 years old — by asking them over Snapchat to send sexually explicit photos of themselves to him, the U.S. Attorney's office said.

Brandon Thomas Kern, 29, was arraigned Wednesday on an indictment in Central Islip charging him with five counts of sexual exploitation of minors and possession of child pornography, according to prosecutors.

Between December 2020 and October 2021, Kern "exploited numerous victims by forcing them to send him sexually explicit photographs and videos," prosecutors said, adding that law enforcement has identified six young girls.

Kern was caught when he traveled from Long Island to Ohio to have sex with one girl and
threatened her when she got scared and refused to meet him, but he was arrested leaving a hotel
room with condoms, rope, and lubricant, prosecutors said.

Subsequent searches of his social media accounts found contact with numerous other minor victims, according to prosecutors.

His prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

The project 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.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has identified several Snapchat accounts through which Kern
communicated with potential victims. They include:

• bsublime10
• bsublime11b
• sublime12
• bsublime20
• bsublime28
• bsublime31
• bsublime33
• punkygreen472

Patch has reached out to his attorney, Joseph Ferrante of Ridgewood, NJ, for comment.

United States Attorney Peace noted that while Kern posed as a teen on Snapchat, he contacted the girls, some of whom were as young as twelve years old, and coerced them into sending him sexually explicit photos and videos, and when they tried to block further contact with him, "he threatened to expose and humiliate them to family and friends."

"Minors should be free to use their phones without fear of victimization," he said. "Our office will work tirelessly with our federal and local partners to find those who lurk in the shadows of cyberspace and prey on our children.”

He praised the work of the FBI and the North Olmstead, Ohio Police Department and expressed his thanks to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio.

FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Smith said Kern "thought he could use technology to outsmart and abuse young girls."

"His alleged crimes were horrific and the FBI's Long Island Child Exploitation Task Force used every tool available to track him down and arrest him putting a stop to his heinous behavior," he said. "There could be more victims and the FBI wants parents or victims to contact law enforcement if they think anyone may have had contact with Kern."

If parents believe their children have communicated with Kern through one of the Snapchat accounts, they should contact the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or by calling 212-384-1000.