Nationwide — Andrew Brown, a 51-year-old man from Worthington, Ohio, who volunteered at a church and taught at a local school, has been sentenced to over 13 years in federal prison for downloading more than 40,000 child sexual abuse images using church and school computers.
Brown, a volunteer youth minister, came under investigation in October 2023 after the Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force noticed unusual online activity linked to him. Authorities found he used the church’s IP address to access and share child pornography, making it one of the most active sources in Ohio, according to Local 12 News.
In April 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant and discovered Brown actively downloading and distributing child sexual abuse material with undercover agents. He admitted to using Peer-to-Peer software to collect the content and called himself a “collector.” Investigators later determined he had amassed over 15 terabytes of illegal material across 21 devices.
Many of the devices seized were tied to Worthington Adventist Academy and Worthington Seventh-Day Adventist Church, where Brown volunteered. Officials noted that the church and school’s IP address ranked among the top three in Ohio for downloading child sexual abuse content.
Brown pleaded guilty in March 2025 to two counts of distributing, receiving, and possessing child pornography. The federal court recently sentenced him to 13 years and four months in federal prison.