Dalton Wayne Braun, a 36-year-old resident of Kingsford, Michigan, has been sentenced to 360 months in federal prison and an additional 120 months of supervised release for the sexual exploitation of a minor. The sentencing was announced by Timothy VerHey, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan.
U.S. District Judge Robert J. Jonker described the case as involving “truly egregious facts.” According to court documents, Braun admitted to recording himself sexually abusing a minor child in July 2024 and later distributing the video online.
U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey stated, “Dalton Braun repeatedly abused a small child, who was not even old enough to voice the abuse he was suffering. No one should tolerate such abuse and my office certainly will not. I commend my staff and our law enforcement partners for their diligence.”
Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office, commented on the outcome: “Crimes committed against children are some of the most unforgivable and those who commit them deserve severe and lasting consequences,” she said. “The maximum sentence imposed on Dalton Braun demonstrates the gravity of his depraved actions and the severe impact it had on children across the United States. I am grateful for the dedicated efforts of FBI Detroit’s Marquette Resident Agency, FBI Milwaukee’s Green Bay Resident Agency, the Michigan State Police, the Kingsford Department of Public Safety, the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan for protecting the most vulnerable members in our communities by stopping Mr. Braun before he could commit another heinous offense.”
The investigation into Braun’s actions was led by multiple agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (Marquette Resident Agency), Michigan State Police, Kingsford Department of Public Safety, and Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office. As a result of this investigation, authorities have recovered six additional child victims from abusive environments and have made five more federal indictments along with two state or local arrests.
This prosecution falls under Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide initiative started by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse through collaboration among federal, state, and local agencies. More information about Project Safe Childhood is available at https://www.justice.gov/PSC.
