While he was a cop for the Long Beach Police Department in Southern California, Anthony Mark Brown, 57, possessed and distributed child pornography, according to federal prosecutors. Photo courtesy of the Long Beach Police Department.
When he was a cop in California, Anthony Mark Brown trafficked child pornography, according to a federal grand jury indictment unsealed this week in Los Angeles.
Brown, 57, pleaded not guilty Wednesday, Sept. 29, in federal court to three felony counts of distributing child pornography and one felony count of possessing child pornography.
Prosecutors claim Brown was a 26-year veteran of the Long Beach Police Department when he used the internet messaging service MeWe in late 2019 and mid-2020 to send graphic images of young girls.
From late 2019 through mid-2020, he also possessed an image of what appeared to be a man molesting a young girl and a video depicting a similar act, according to Brown’s indictment.
The Long Beach Police Department suspended Brown on Feb. 10, 2021, following his arrest at work on similar state child pornography charges filed by Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón.
After the federal grand jury indicted the ex-cop last month, the DA dropped all state charges.
Brown’s Feb. 10 arrest came eight months after Long Beach Police detectives received a tip about possible sex crimes committed against a child.
The police department later fired Brown, who had been assigned to a security detail at Long Beach Airport.
Homeland Security Investigations agents in Los Angeles handled the federal investigation.
Brown posted bail and left the federal courthouse following his Wednesday arraignment, but Coffee or Die Magazine was unable to contact him through his listed telephone number in Lakewood, California. No criminal defense attorney is named in his court documents. In February, Long Beach Police Officers Association president Rich Chambers took to Facebook to announce his union wouldn’t provide legal representation for Brown.
In their court filings, federal prosecutors unsuccessfully sought to keep Brown in pretrial confinement. Calling Brown a flight risk, the prosecutors noted the seriousness of the child pornography charges and the taint of “public corruption” tied to his role as a police officer.
Brown also allegedly used an alias, “Kristen Funone,” according to his indictment.
Although Homeland Security Investigations officials stated in an email to Coffee or Die that Brown’s trial was slated to begin Nov. 23, there’s no date scheduled in the federal court records.
If convicted on all charges, Brown faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years behind bars. The maximum penalty calls for 80 years in federal prison.
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Carl Prine is a former senior editor at Coffee or Die Magazine. He has worked at Navy Times, The San Diego Union-Tribune, and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He served in the Marine Corps and the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. His awards include the Joseph Galloway Award for Distinguished Reporting on the military, a first prize from Investigative Reporters & Editors, and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
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