Brian KeelingCuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department
CLEVELAND, Ohio — A Cleveland man who ran an online chat group where members shared images and videos of toddlers being raped pleaded guilty Monday to federal charges.
Brian Keeling, 34, was arrested in December after he admitted to U.S. Department of Homeland Security agents that he ran a group called “Toddlers” on the messaging app Kik, according to a court filings. An affidavit says Keeling posted messages such as “who has some young hardcore stuff” or “wish we could find a babies group.”
He told investigators that he ran the group and traded files from his cellphone. A search of his phone turned up 30 movie files and hundreds of images of child pornography. Some were extremely graphic, including videos in which a toddler could be heard screaming or saying “no” throughout the sexual assault, the affidavit says.
Keeling pleaded guilty Monday to advertisement, receipt and distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography. He faces a minimum of 15 years in federal prison.
U.S. District Judge James Gwin will sentence him May 26.
Jacqueline Johnson, Keeling’s federal public defender, did not immediately respond to a phone call seeking comment.
The affidavit says Keeling was caught in a probe that started with investigators in Australia. A suspect there admitted to molesting a 4-year-old girl while photographing and filming it. The suspect then shared the files with others.
The suspect gave investigators access to his Kik account, and they found that he was a member of “Toddlers,” which had 50 members. The profile picture of the group, which investigators later found out was run by Keeling, was an explicit photo of a child. Investigators also found that someone from Keeling’s home uploaded images of child pornography onto Skype, according to the affidavit.
Investigators searched his house on West 59th Street near Storer Avenue on Dec. 6 and seized cellphones, computers and tablets. He told investigators that he used his phone to send and receive child pornography and used Kik to trade the files, investigators say.
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