COLUMBUS, Ohio — A Grove City man pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court to receiving and possessing child pornography, admitting he also secretly captured nude photos and videos from female customers’ phones while working at cell phone stores in Columbus.
Neil R. Brown, 41, worked at multiple Cellular Sales locations in Columbus, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio. In addition to downloading child sexual abuse material, Brown admitted he captured explicit images and videos he found while searching through customers’ phones.
Investigators opened the case after a cyber tipline report in January 2025 led them to search Brown’s digital accounts and devices, according to the release. They found more than 75 images and videos of child pornography on his phone, including material depicting prepubescent minors believed to be 7 to 9 years old. Brown paid virtual currency through an app to receive some of the videos, the release said.
Court documents describe how Brown carried out the customer recordings: While employed by Cellular Sales, he would take female customers’ phones, search them for sexual or explicit content, and capture what he found on his own device, according to the release. Agents recovered 59 sexual images and videos of Cellular Sales customers that Brown had taken from their phones.
Brown was charged federally in December 2025, the release said.
Receiving child pornography carries a federal penalty of five to 20 years in prison, while possession carries a maximum of 20 years, according to the release.
U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II, FBI Cincinnati Division Special Agent in Charge Jason Cromartie, Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin and members of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force announced the plea, which was entered before U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus Jr. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Czerniejewski is prosecuting the case.
The case falls under Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation, according to the release.
Suspects are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.
