A U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel was sentenced to 20 years in prison for attempting to sexually exploit a child.
Ross Andrew Brown, 45, was convicted in February on two counts each of attempted sexual enticement of a minor, attempted sexual exploitation of a minor and attempted receipt of child pornography. In August, Brown received his sentence for those charges: 240 months in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, along with $115,600 in assessments.
Brown was arrested in 2023 through a sting conducted by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigative Division. A CID agent, posing as a 14-year-old girl, was able to use the social media app Whisper — which is now defunct, but allowed users to remain anonymous — to convince Brown to attempt to meet the alleged child for sex.
During his conversations with the agent, Brown repeatedly made sexual comments toward a person he believed to be a child. He also sent photographs of his face, allowing CID analysts to identify him, the investigation report noted; according to Brown’s professional biography at the time, as cited in the investigation, he was a legal advisor for the 613 Air Operations Center, whose military legal experience included prosecution of child sex offenses.
Eventually, in April of that year, the two arranged to meet at Schofield Barracks, according to the investigation. The agent requested that Brown bring a specific type of gum; surveillance teams watched Brown stop at a store to purchase that gum en route to their prearranged meeting place.
CID personnel arrested Brown at the pre-arranged location.
During Brown’s sentencing investigation, further evidence showed that Brown had engaged in similar online conversations with people purporting to be minors over an approximately two-year period. During these conversations, Brown also attempted to initiate sex with those minors and requested sexually explicit images of them.
According to a sentencing memorandum, investigators were able to contact at least one of those users and confirmed that she was indeed a minor while she was in communication with Brown.
Despite this, Brown reportedly testified at trial that he “never believed” he was chatting with minors. The sentencing memorandum stated that Brown’s apparent refusal to admit fault signals “heightened risk for recidivism” and necessitated a sentence close to the statutory maximum.
“Brown’s leadership position and legal experience also amplified the damage he was able to cause,” the memorandum read. “His stature and expertise gave him unique insight into how to exploit others and, undoubtedly, how to avoid being caught.”
In addition to his sentence, Brown is required to register as a sex offender and is prohibited to having any direct contact with a child under the age of 18 without the permission of his probation officer.
Brown has appealed the court’s judgment to the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
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