Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced that Brendan Sullivan, 29, of Burlington, Vermont, was arraigned yesterday on 10 felony counts of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Materials and one count of Luring. The charges brought against Mr. Sullivan are the result of a criminal investigation, including the execution of search warrants conducted by the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC), which included personnel from the Attorney General’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Burlington Police Department.
The investigation was initiated when VT-ICAC received a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The tip was reported by OpenAI after an individual uploaded an image of child sexual abuse material from an electronic device onto its servers. Based on the criminal investigation of that tip, Mr. Sullivan was identified as the owner of the account that uploaded the image. Law enforcement personnel executed a search warrant on Mr. Sullivan’s residence, which revealed that Mr. Sullivan was actively in possession of numerous child sexual abuse materials. Mr. Sullivan has a criminal conviction for a similar offense from Vermont’s Federal District Court.
Mr. Sullivan pleaded not guilty at his arraignment yesterday in Vermont Superior Court, Chittenden Criminal Division. The Court, Judge Timothy Doherty presiding, ordered conditions of release which restrict Mr. Sullivan’s access to minors, electronic devices, and the internet.
VT-ICAC investigates cases of child sexual exploitation occurring over the internet, including the production and online distribution of child sexual abuse materials. VT-ICAC also provides forensic examination services, technical assistance, law enforcement training, and public education and outreach.
Every child deserves a safe childhood. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) is the nation’s centralized reporting system for the online exploitation of children. Anyone can make reports of suspected online enticement of children for sexual acts, child sexual molestation, child sexual abuse material, child sex tourism, child sex trafficking, unsolicited obscene materials sent to a child, misleading domain names, and misleading words or digital images on the internet. To make a report, call the 24-hour call center at 1-800-843-5678 or visit https://report.cybertip.org.
Additionally, if you are recovering from child sexual exploitation, you do not have to navigate it alone. NCMEC can help with emotional and peer support, removing content from the internet, and locating mental health professionals. For more information, please visit https://www.missingkids.org/gethelpnow/csam-resources or call the 24-hour call center at 1-800-843-5678.
The Attorney General’s Office emphasizes that individuals charged with a crime are legally presumed innocent until their guilt is proven beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
6.25.2025. MONTPELIER, Vt. – Attorney General
To support vital journalism, access our archives and get unique features like our award-winning profiles, Book of Lists & Business-to-Business Directory, subscribe HERE!
