Former U.S. Air Force Member Sentenced for Receipt of Child Pornography

 ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Virginia man who was dishonorably discharged from the U.S. Air Force was sentenced today to seven years in prison for receiving images of child sexual abuse and failing to maintain his sex offender registration as required.

“Bryson Miller not only accessed and retained thousands of videos and images of child sexual abuse from the dark web, but he also failed to update his sex offender registration while employed in a position in which he interacted with children,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Protecting society’s most vulnerable and innocent members—including children—is a top priority for EDVA and the Department of Justice.”

According to court documents, Bryson McNeal Miller, 40, of Alexandria, received a substantial amount of child pornography over the course of several years by accessing sites on the “dark web.” Miller retained thousands of these videos and images of child sexual abuse on various electronic devices in his possession. Additionally, Miller failed to maintain an accurate record of his employment with the Virginia sex offender registry, in that Miller failed to inform authorities that he was employed at a northern Virginia martial arts studio where some of his students were children. Miller was required to register as a sex offender due to a 2006 conviction for possession of child pornography while Miller was serving in the U.S. Air Force.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and James A. Dawson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Schlessinger prosecuted the case.

The FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, composed of FBI agents and local, state, and federal partners, investigated the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:20-cr-200.