CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell sentenced Brian Elliott Kursonis, 59, of Charlotte, to 360 months in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for production of child pornography, announced Andrew Murray, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Judge Bell also ordered Kursonis to register as a sex offender after he is released from prison.
Chief Johnny Jennings, of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), joins U.S. Attorney Murray in making today’s announcement.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court, beginning as early as 2008, Kursonis repeatedly sexually abused two minor victims, and produced images and videos depicting the abuse. Kursonis’ conduct came to the attention of law enforcement when a witness discovered the child pornography on Kursonis’ computer. Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement also located numerous images of child pornography on Kursonis’ seized computer and other electronic devices. On July 20, 2020, Kursonis pleaded guilty to production of child pornography.
In making today’s announcement U.S. Attorney Murray thanked CMPD for their investigation which led to Kursonis’ lengthy sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alfredo De La Rosa, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, prosecuted the case.