ALBANY, Ga. — A 45-year-old Georgia man pleaded guilty in federal court to distributing child sexual abuse material online and faces years in prison.
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Andrew Brent Darbyshire, of Albany, who worked at Albany State University and volunteered with local youth organizations, admitted to distributing child pornography, according to court documents.
His sentencing is scheduled in January 2026, and he could face a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and a lifetime of supervised release.
“It is deeply disturbing whenever adults who work or volunteer with young people are found to be possessing or distributing child sexual abuse material,” said U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes.
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Federal investigators with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Tacoma, Wash., discovered an online account linked to Darbyshire during an investigation into a separate child exploitation case in February 2024.
Officials said the website, which had about 658 members, was used to share approximately 5,700 files of child pornography.
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HSI tracked the username “@teen_lover21” to Darbyshire, who was working in maintenance at Albany State University and volunteering at a local high school and with the Boy Scouts.
According to court documents, a federal search warrant executed on November 25, 2024, at Darbyshire’s home led to the seizure of two cell phones containing 112 images and 195 videos of child porn with girl between the ages of three and 10 years old engaging in sexually explicit conduct with adult men.
The other phone had various social media links, including the website investigated by HSI.
Authorities said that phone also contained about 945 images and 22 videos of girls between the ages of three and 10 years old engaging in sexually explicit conduct with adult men. Darbyshire received and shared child porn on the website and, specifically to this case, he distributed a digital media file that depicted young girls engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
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