A former Long Beach Police Department officer who had been facing state charges of possessing and distributing child pornography is now facing federal prosecution on the allegations, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.
Anthony Brown, 57, of Lakewood, was arrested Wednesday and appeared in federal court in downtown Los Angeles, where he pleaded not guilty to three counts of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography, according to federal prosecutors.
He was released on bond and is due back in federal court Nov. 23.
In light of his federal indictment, which was returned by a grand jury Sept. 21, the state charges filed against Brown in March were dismissed, prosecutors said.
The indictment alleges that Brown used the MeWe internet messaging application to distribute sexually explicit images of girls in November 2019 and April 2020. From October 2019 to May 2020, he allegedly possessed a sexually explicit image of a girl under 12 years old, prosecutors said.
Brown had been with LBPD for 27 years but left the force following his arrest earlier this year on the state charges.
Long Beach Deputy Police Chief Wally Hebeish said in March after Brown’s arrest that his actions “do not represent the professionalism and commitment that all of our employees show every day while protecting our community.”
“When the actions of an individual employee erode the values of our organization and the public trust all of us have worked so hard to cultivate, they must be held accountable,” he said, adding that, “protecting children is one of our most sacred responsibilities.”
Brown was assigned to the Security Services Division at Long Beach Airport.
If convicted of the federal charges, Brown would face between five and 80 years in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
