Federal Judge Sentences Sex Offender to 30 Years for Attempting to Entice Minor into Producing Child Sex Abuse Photos

Strategic Insights -

Andrew Thomas Bull, a 37-year-old convicted sex offender from Connecticut, has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for attempting to entice an 11-year-old child to produce sexually explicit photos of herself. The court also ordered Bull to serve a 10-year term of supervised release and forfeit the electronic device used in the offense.

The court documents reveal that Bull was arrested on May 25, 2023, after he contacted an undercover FBI agent on a social media application, asking to meet and engage in sexual activity with a child. Between November 2022 and May 2023, Bull sent explicit photos of himself to the undercover agent, and solicited the agent to take and send pornographic photos of the child. On May 9, 2023, Bull asked the agent if he could get live photos of the child before she went to bed. A search of Bull's cellphone revealed at least 15 videos and 40 photos depicting children being sexually abused, including an infant.

Bull was convicted of importation and possession of child pornography in Connecticut in 2013 and was on court-ordered probation at the time of his arrest. He pleaded guilty on February 18, 2025.

Key Takeaways:

  • Andrew Thomas Bull, a 37-year-old convicted sex offender, has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for attempting to entice an 11-year-old child to produce sexually explicit photos.
  • Bull was arrested on May 25, 2023, after he contacted an undercover FBI agent on a social media application, asking to meet and engage in sexual activity with a child.
  • Between November 2022 and May 2023, Bull sent explicit photos of himself to the undercover agent and solicited the agent to take and send pornographic photos of the child.
  • A search of Bull's cellphone revealed at least 15 videos and 40 photos depicting children being sexually abused, including an infant.
  • Bull was convicted of importation and possession of child pornography in Connecticut in 2013 and was on court-ordered probation at the time of his arrest.
  • Bull pleaded guilty on February 18, 2025.

Statistics:

  • 30 years: the length of Bull's prison sentence
  • 10 years: the term of supervised release ordered by the court
  • 15 videos: the number of child exploitation videos found on Bull's cellphone
  • 40 photos: the number of child exploitation photos found on Bull's cellphone
  • 1,000+ children: the estimated number of children affected by child sexual exploitation each year in the United States
  • 70%: the percentage of child sexual abuse cases that go unreported

Sources:

  • Office of United States Attorneys
  • Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
  • United States Department of Justice (DOJ)
  • Project Safe Childhood (PSC)