A man from the Mississippi Gulf Coast will spend close to a decade behind bars for child exploitation.
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced on Monday that D’Iberville native Brandon Anthony Courtney was locked up as a result of “Operation Press Your Luck,” a campaign to locate and lock up individuals committing cyber crimes involving minors. No stranger to law enforcement, the suspect’s most recent arrest follows multiple encounters with police.
Last week, Courtney was sentenced by Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Keith Miller to 40 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, with eight years to serve day-for-day without possibility of parole, and five years of supervised probation for two counts of child exploitation.
“As a result of our cybercrime operation, we were able to take a dangerous predator off the streets before he could do more harm,” Fitch stated. “My office is dedicated to protecting the innocent and making our communities safer by investigating and prosecuting crimes like these. If you suspect a child is being exploited online or trafficked, please report it. Your tip could save a life.”
In addition to his time in prison and on probation, Courtney was ordered to pay a $1,000 assessment to the Victims of Human Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation Fund, $1,000 to the Crime Victim Compensation Fund, and a $50,000 fine.
He will also have to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.
