A Brandon attorney has been sentenced to six years and six months in federal prison for distributing child sexual abuse material, authorities announced.
Senior U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday handed down the sentence to 47-year-old Benjamin Crawford, who pleaded guilty to the charges in June 2025. In addition to the prison term, Crawford was ordered to serve 25 years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender. He is also required to forfeit the cellphone and laptop used to commit the offenses.
Federal court filings show Crawford used a social media application to distribute illegal material involving minors and accessed similar content on his personal devices. Authorities said he attempted to obstruct the investigation by deleting apps from his phone to hide evidence before a search could be conducted.
The case was investigated by the FBI, with agents in Tampa and Tennessee handling the inquiry. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ilyssa M. Spergel prosecuted the case.