A Connecticut man with a history of possessing child sexual abuse materials was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison in Florida after authorities alleged he tried to solicit a young child while communicating online with an undercover FBI agent.
Andrew Thomas Bull, 37, of Tolland was also ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release once he is released from prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida said in a news release on Wednesday.
According to federal officials, an undercover FBI agent in the Jacksonville area conducted an online operation in November 2022 to identify adults trying to solicit meet ups with children. The agent posted a message in a public chat room on a social media app indicating that they had access to an 11-year-old child.
Later that same day, user “brdr1066” contacted the agent using a messaging feature on the app and inquired about the fictitious child, officials said. The user was later identified as Bull, according to authorities.
Officials said Bull wanted to confirm the age of the child and what sexual experience they had had. He also reportedly sent explicit photos of himself that he wanted the child to see.
Between November 2022 and May 2023, Bull reportedly had a number of text message conversations with the agent in which he expressed his desire to have sex with the child, authorities said. He also sent the agent photos of children being sexually abused and asked for photos of the fictitious 11-year-old, officials said.
On May 9, 2023, Bull reportedly asked if he would get to see “live pics tonight?” before the child “goes to bed hopefully,” authorities said.
On May 25, 2023, FBI agents arrested Bull and carried out a federal search warrant at his residence. A search of his cellphone turned up at least 15 videos and 40 photos depicting children being sexually abused, including an infant, officials said.
“Protecting kids from predators is among the most important work that we do at the FBI,” Jason Carley, special agent in charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division, said in a statement. “Let this case be a warning — the FBI is relentless in our efforts to identify and stop child predators from abusing our kids.”
According to authorities, Bull is a sex offender who was convicted of importation and possession of child sexual abuse materials in Connecticut in 2013. He was serving court-ordered probation when he was arrested by federal authorities and was transported to Florida.
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