LOS ANGELES – A former Long Beach Police officer has been arrested pursuant to a federal grand jury indictment alleging he possessed and distributed child pornography when he was working as a law enforcement officer.
Anthony Brown, 57, of Lakewood, was arrested Wednesday morning by special agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). At his arraignment in United States District Court Wednesday afternoon, Brown pleaded not guilty to three counts of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
According to the indictment returned on September 21, Brown used MeWe, an internet-based messaging application, to distribute sexually explicit images of girls in November 2019 and April 2020.
From October 2019 through May 2020, Brown also knowingly possessed a sexually explicit image of a girl who had not yet reached the age of 12, the indictment alleges.
Brown was a Long Beach Police officer for 27 years. He left the force earlier this year after his arrest on state charges of possession and distribution of child pornography. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has dismissed those charges in light of the federal case.
At Wednesday’s arraignment, Brown was released on bond. A trial was scheduled for November 23.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
If convicted of all charges, Brown would face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of 80 years in federal prison.
HSI and the Long Beach Police Department investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorneys Susan S. Har of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section and Kathrynne N. Seiden of the General Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.
