An Evendale man was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for possessing child sexual abuse material and tampering with evidence.

Prosecutors said Rain Phoenix-Brown, 24, took a job at a Kenwood Towne Centre toy store to get closer to children. Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Jody Luebbers imposed the maximum sentence on Thursday, Oct. 1, the Cincinnati Enquirer first reported. Phoenix-Brown had pleaded guilty to three counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor, all fourth-degree felonies, and one count of tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony.

The pandering charges stemmed from his possession of sexually oriented material involving minors. Prosecutors said investigators suspected he also sent material to others but could not prove distribution. The sentence breaks down to 18 months on each pandering conviction and 36 months for tampering, all running consecutively, according to prosecutors' sentencing memorandum reported by WCPO.

"You scare me," Luebbers told Phoenix-Brown before handing down the sentence. "You've got real issues. I don't think you can be cured."

Encrypted files and deleted evidence

Prosecutors said forensic evidence tied Phoenix-Brown to an encrypted MEGA account containing 3,254 uploaded files. The filenames were consistent with known child sexual abuse material identified in other law enforcement investigations.

Phoenix-Brown deleted the account about seven minutes after speaking with law enforcement, according to prosecutors. He later wrote in a Telegram message that he had wiped his phone. That destruction led to the tampering conviction.

Prosecutors said Phoenix-Brown would have faced more serious charges had he not destroyed the files. His guilty plea resolved the possibility of additional charges; under the agreement, prosecutors agreed not to pursue further counts through the grand jury.

Kenwood Towne Centre connection

Phoenix-Brown worked at the Squishable stuffed-animal store at Kenwood Towne Centre, according to court filings. Prosecutors alleged he took the job to be closer to children.

Court filings state Phoenix-Brown told an online friend about his attraction to a child at the store. Evendale police Detective Pete Faillace wrote in a letter to the judge that Phoenix-Brown's employment there put him in close proximity to the subjects of his fixation.

Evendale Police Chief Tim Holloway also submitted a letter asking for the maximum sentence. Holloway wrote that investigators found multiple stacks of diapers in Phoenix-Brown's bedroom and argued the evidence showed a sustained pattern of behavior.

Phoenix-Brown told the court he worked at the store because he often bought the stuffed animals for a sensory issue and wanted to be around the toys, not children.

Investigation and online activity

The investigation began after Evendale police received a tip from a confidential informant indicating Phoenix-Brown was discussing child sexual abuse material online, Faillace said in court.

Prosecutors said Phoenix-Brown was active in Telegram and Discord groups sharing sexually abusive material.

In a letter to the judge, Faillace said Phoenix-Brown told others in online group chats that he had sexually assaulted eight children. Defense attorney Brandon Fox disputed those claims in court, saying Phoenix-Brown fabricated the statements. Investigators found no evidence that Phoenix-Brown physically abused or touched a child, according to WKRC.

Phoenix-Brown admitted to viewing illegal content involving children as young as 2 years old. He had been interviewed by the FBI in 2024 about child sexual abuse material activity but continued collecting such content afterward, becoming more sophisticated in using encrypted platforms, according to prosecutors' filings.

In June 2024, Phoenix-Brown applied to be a babysitter through an online platform called Sittercity, according to Faillace's letter.

Defense arguments and the sentence

Fox argued in a presentence filing that Phoenix-Brown is a victim of childhood sexual abuse who became reliant on pornography as a coping mechanism. Fox asked the judge to sentence his client to a stay at the minimum-security River City Correctional Center followed by five years of probation.

Phoenix-Brown apologized in court to the children depicted in the abuse material. He said he started viewing illegal content three years ago and never planned to act on it.

Assistant Hamilton County Prosecutor Elyse Deters argued in court that it is only a matter of time before Phoenix-Brown sexually assaults a child. Deters wrote in the sentencing memorandum that her office received an overwhelming number of phone calls from concerned parents about the case.

Luebbers imposed the maximum sentence allowed under the plea agreement. Phoenix-Brown had originally pleaded not guilty in March before changing his plea.

Residents who suspect child exploitation can report tips to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's CyberTipline at 1-800-843-5678 or CyberTipline.org.