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CIVIC CENTER (CNS) - A former Long Beach Police Department officer has agreed to plead guilty today in court to a federal charge of distribution of child pornography.
Anthony Brown, 58, of Lakewood, was charged in September last year with three counts of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Federal prosecutors allege 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 early last year when he was charged in state court. Those charges were dismissed when federal prosecutors took up the case.
Long Beach Police Chief Wally Hebeish said in March 2021 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.