January 23, 2020 – Brian J. Eley was sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to 10 counts of child pornography – all second-degree felonies involving illegal computer downloads.
“Unfortunately, there is no safe place for our kids from online predators,” said Delaware County Prosecutor Melissa A. Schiffel. “We live in a wonderful community, but we can’t let our guards down. Predators are good at hiding what they don’t want us to know, and parents must stay vigilant. We applaud the efforts of Detective Dan Madden with the Delaware City Police Department whose thorough and relentless investigation enabled us to seek justice.”
Eley was indicted in March 2019 after the National Center For Missing And Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a cyber tip in January 2019. The tip ultimately connected child pornography images with a photo-sharing service called SmugMug-Flickr. The internet-based account was linked back to Mr. Eley, and a search warrant was executed at his Delaware city residence in February 2019.
Chief Criminal Assistant Prosecutor Mark Sleeper told the court today at sentencing that prison was where this defendant belonged. Sleeper outlined the serious charges against Eley as well as concerning behavior displayed by the defendant such as videotaping neighborhood children at play and taking photos of children while on a beach vacation.
As a result of his crimes, Eley is classified as a Tier II sex offender. As such, he must register his address every 180 days for 25 years after his release from prison. The court also ordered he serve 5 years post release control.
“Internet predators can live anywhere – the pretty house next door, the perfect-looking home with the white picket fence – it does not matter,” said Prosecutor Schiffel. “Fortunately, we live in a great county where the good outweighs the bad by leaps and bounds. Still, if you suspect any wrongdoing, play it safe and call law enforcement. We all have a part to play in keeping our community—our kids especially– safe and strong.”
