Brandon Christopher Heck, a 25-year-old resident of Hanover Township, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 180 months in prison for the production of child pornography. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Joseph F. Saporito, Jr., according to an announcement from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus stated that between July 26 and July 27, 2023, Heck communicated with a seven-year-old child using the Likee application. During this period, Heck posed as a 14-year-old boy and directed the child to take and send sexually explicit images of herself. A forensic review of Heck’s cell phone confirmed that he also distributed child pornography via Telegram throughout 2024.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation – Philadelphia Division. Assistant United States Attorney Tatum Wilson prosecuted the matter.
“This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc,” according to information provided in connection with the sentencing.
