GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – A man pretended to be a 15-year-old girl online to manipulate Michigan children into sending explicit material, while a Lansing accomplice fed him their personal information to make it possible.
Together, the two men will spend a collective 82 years in federal prison for sexually exploiting Michigan children.
Joseph Brandon, 50, of Knoxville, Tennessee, was sentenced to 55 years in federal prison for his role in the scheme.
Michael David Bledsoe, 47, of Lansing, received a 27-year sentence, followed by five years of supervised release.
How the scheme worked
According to authorities, Bledsoe and Brandon met online through a chat group devoted to the predation of minor girls. Through private messages, the two reportedly formed a criminal agreement: Bledsoe would supply Brandon with social media and biographical information about minor girls in Michigan, and Brandon would use that information to pose as a teenager and extract explicit materials from the victims.
Investigation, discovery of abuse material
The scheme unraveled when investigators executed a search warrant on Bledsoe’s Lansing home, where they found the messages and a large amount of child sexual abuse material.
A subsequent search of Brandon’s home in Tennessee led to the discovery of thousands of additional images and videos of children being sexually abused.
During sentencing, Judge Hala Jarbou said the misconduct of the two men was “off the charts.”
To report online child sexual exploitation, call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s 24-Hour Call Center at 1-800-843-5678, or submit a CyberTip report here.