A Washington man has been charged with the production of child pornography and enticement. Brandon Kuper, 20, of Tacoma, Washington is now facing some serious federal charges after he reportedly used the internet to find young girls. He then worked to convince them to produce and send him sexually explicit photos and videos. He also coerced the children to “engage in self-harm.”
Last month, a federal grand jury in Eugene returned an indictment charging Brandon with production of child pornography and enticement. According to fed court documents, Brandon Kuper operated under the username “Merqzs.” He used two apps, Discord and Snapchat. These are both social media messaging applications. He used these platforms to find an unknown number of young girls and convinced them to produce and send him sexually the explicit photos and videos.
There was also an even scarier and violent addition to what Brandi was doing. He would threatened to harm his those children’ families or post sexually explicit photos of them online if they did not comply with his demands. In addition he asked several of them to mutilate themselves by cutting his username, “Merqzs”, into their skin, photograph it, and send him the photos.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with assistance from the Bend Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy Potter and John Brassell are prosecuting the case. Most child predators are not caught. Parents are asked to monitor their children’s online use. Some children are not protected properly in their homes. Teachers, coaches and religious leaders are also asked to pay attention to the online activities of children in their network and care.
Brandon made his initial appearance in federal court recently before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. He was arraigned but plead not guilty. He was also detained pending a jury trial scheduled to begin on February 14, 2023.
Various entities work on cases involving child trafficking, abuse, and neglect. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to contact HSI at (866) 347-2423 or submit a tip online at report.cybertip.org.
