An Indiana man will spend the next three decades behind bars for peddling vile images of a minor on the dark web. Gerald Talman Brann, 43, of Valparaiso was slapped with a gruesome 30-year prison sentence in federal court in San Antonio and ordered to pay a hefty $110,000 in restitution, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Monday.

According to the DOJ, Brann shared sickening images showing a 10-year-old child in various stages of undress across an online messaging service—a crime which he imparted onto the world between Christmas Day 2022 and Jan. 4, 2023. Officials uncovered that Brann's electronic devices were chock-full of images and videos of child sexual abuse. His arrest occurred on March 23, 2023.

Brann has remained in custody since his capture and entered a guilty plea on Nov. 28, 2023, for one count of sexual exploitation of children. Co-defendant Veronica Solis from Valparaiso is waiting on her own verdict, with a sentencing date set for July 16. She pleaded guilty to a similar charge on Dec. 5, 2023.

"The sexual abuse and exploitation of children is an absolutely horrific offense," said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza, according to a DOJ statement. He added, "The court's sentence of the statutory maximum penalty is appropriate for offenders like Gerald Brann, who go to great lengths to wreak havoc on the lives of innocent children."

FBI Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp offered kudos to the coordinated effort that brought Brann to justice, noting "This case is an excellent example of how the FBI works across field offices to bring predators to justice," in a joint effort with the FBI Indianapolis and the Indiana State Police.

Brann's sentencing comes as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to pull the plug on the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For further details on this concerted crusade, visit the Project Safe Childhood website.