Possessing Child Porn Results In Conviction Of West Chester Man

WEST CHESTER, PA— A 20-year-old West Chester man was convicted Thursday in the Chester County Justice Center of possessing 700 images of child pornography on a computer device in July of 2021.

Cristian Brown is free on $100,000 awaiting sentencing on charges of charges possession of child pornography and criminal use of a communication facility.

During the three-day trial, witnesses testified that forensic analysts found 700 images of child pornography on one of the computers used by the defendant.

The images recovered depicted child victims between the ages of 2 and 14 years old who were sexually assaulted, according to police.

Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan said the case was extremely challenging due to the horrifying nature of the images involved in the case.

“Each one of these images represents a real child victim who has been abused in the vilest and unimaginable ways,” Ryan said. “We thank all of those in law enforcement who continue to fight for justice on behalf of these vulnerable victims.”

Brown’s attorney, John L. Lachall of West Chester, was not available for comment.

According to court records:

• On May 24, 2021, the Chester County detectives began an investigation based on information from the Delaware County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
• The task force received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that identified a user in possession of child pornography. The investigation led the county detectives to Brown as the suspect.
• Investigators determined that the user of the IP address uploaded two images of child pornography that were viewed on May 8, 2021.
• On July 13, 2021, police executed a search warrant at the defendant’s residence and seized six computer devices.