Lee County Man Sentenced for Sexual Exploitation of Two Children

Brandon Thomas Hart – Photo from Lee County Sheriff’s Office

A Lee County man has been sentenced for sexual exploitation involving two children.

U.S. Attorney Sandra Stewart has announced that 33-year-old Brandon Thomas Hart of Smiths Station was sentenced to 38 years in prison. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says according to Hart’s plea agreement and other court records, an investigation began in September 2020 when law enforcement in Dallas, Texas, became aware of sexually explicit images that appeared to include minors were being shared through a messaging app called Kik.

FBI agents in Texas were able to trace the origin of the messages to Smiths Station and Hart was identified as a suspect.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says in his plea agreement, Hart admitted to inducing two minors under the age of 18 to engage in sexually explicit conduct for him to photograph. It says Hart also admitted that he recorded explicit images of the minors while they were not conscious and distributed the images online using Kik.   

Hart pleaded guilty in June. Following his prison sentence, Hart will be on supervised release for the remainder of his life and will be required to register as a sex offender. There is no parole in the federal system.

Related state charges remain pending.