A Hudson, Wyoming man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison following his conviction for possessing child pornography, a case that began after he was publicly confronted by a YouTube content creator who poses as underage decoys to expose alleged online predators, Cowboy State Daily reports.
On Tuesday, US District Judge Alan Johnson sentenced 58-year-old Sean Joseph Brennan to 120 months in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release. Brennan was also ordered to pay $33,000 in restitution to 11 victims.
The sentencing took place at the Joseph O’Mahoney Federal Building in Cheyenne. Brennan, who appeared in court wearing a prison-issued jumpsuit, declined to make a lengthy statement but told the court he had completed hundreds of educational courses while incarcerated and spends most of his time reading and studying.
Brennan’s arrest stemmed from a September 2024 encounter in Lander with Tommy Fellows of Colorado Ped Patrol, a YouTube channel that livestreams confrontations with individuals accused of engaging in inappropriate online communications with decoys posing as minors. The confrontation was filmed and published online, with Fellows presenting chat transcripts in which Brennan allegedly made explicit comments and requests to someone he believed was 13 years old.
Following the incident, Brennan was fired from his job and later arrested. A federal grand jury indicted him in November 2024 after investigators found child pornography on multiple electronic devices, including laptops and a tablet. Brennan pleaded guilty in April 2025.
At sentencing, Judge Johnson noted Brennan had a criminal history that included three prior convictions for similar offenses. He described Brennan’s behavior as consistent with a compulsive pattern and said prior interventions, including prison terms and counseling, had not been effective. The judge imposed several conditions on Brennan’s release, including mandatory sex offender registration, mental health treatment, financial monitoring, and restrictions on contact with minors.
Brennan’s attorney, P. Craig Silva, had argued for a lesser sentence, citing his client’s cooperation in custody and completion of more than 400 educational courses. Silva also requested that Brennan serve his sentence at a facility closer to family, such as FCI Seagoville in Texas.
Federal prosecutors declined to comment on the sentence, but court documents revealed that Brennan knowingly possessed illegal material involving prepubescent minors across several devices. A related state charge in Fremont County was dropped following the federal indictment.
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