CEDAR CITY – A 5th District judge sentenced a 44-year-old Las Vegas man Tuesday to 120 days in the county jail for sending pornographic materials to a minor over the internet.
Judge Keith Barnes sentenced Sean Gerald Brogna to four months in the Iron County Correctional Facility and placed him on 36 months of probation for two counts of dealing harmful materials to a minor, both third-degree felonies.
He was also ordered to pay a $1,500 fine.
According to the court records, Brogna was arrested in 2011 after police conducted an online sting in conjunction with the California-based organization, Perverted Justice.
Perverted Justice consists of volunteers who work with authorities throughout the country to conduct online sting operations. The organization uses adult decoys who pose as children or teenagers, generally ranging in ages 10-15, on chat sites and wait for adults to approach them.
The volunteers set up in-person meetings with the suspects. The information is then passed to area law enforcement who will make an arrest at the point of contact.
In Brogna’s case, the adult decoy presented herself as a 13-year-old female from Utah. After identifying herself, including her age, the defendant began chatting with her about his intentions to have sex with her.
On one occasion, Brogna sent the girl a pornographic image and on another occasion via webcam in a live video stream he sent images that included sexual acts. The entire time, Brogna was acting under the belief the girl was 13 years old.
During one of the chats, Brogna gave his name to the alleged victim.
The information was then given to the Iron County Sheriff’s Office which began an investigation, eventually locating the defendant in Las Vegas.
Brogna begged the judge Tuesday to give him more time before having to start his sentence. Barnes refused, ordering the defendant to report to the jail at 2 p.m.
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