Rain Phoenix-Brown, 24, of Evendale pleaded guilty Tuesday, Sept. 1, to four felony charges after investigators found thousands of AI-generated child sexual abuse images and numerous photographs of real children on his electronic devices.
Forensic exams of Phoenix-Brown's devices turned up photographs of students from an unidentified local parochial school, WCPO first reported. Court records do not name the school or explain how Phoenix-Brown obtained the photos.
Phoenix-Brown entered his plea in Hamilton County court on three counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor, each a fourth-degree felony, and one count of tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony. He had pleaded not guilty in March.
How the investigation unfolded
The case began with a probe into Phoenix-Brown's online activity on Telegram and Discord, where investigators found conversations in which he allegedly requested sexual material involving children, according to court records.
Evendale police executed a search warrant at Phoenix-Brown's home in February 2026, seizing his cellphone, iPad, laptop and other devices. Forensic exams produced thousands of AI-generated sexual images of minors, according to the affidavit. Investigators also found numerous images of real children on the devices.
Investigators recovered deleted digital files as well. The indictment alleges Phoenix-Brown altered, destroyed or removed files on Feb. 12, 2026, while aware an investigation was underway or likely. That conduct led to the tampering charge.
Plea deal dropped additional charges
The guilty plea resolved the possibility of more charges. Phoenix-Brown's defense attorney told the court that prosecutors had brought a "series of other charges" to the defense's attention. Under the agreement, Phoenix-Brown pleaded guilty to all four counts in the existing indictment, and prosecutors agreed not to pursue additional tampering and related charges through the grand jury.
Assistant Hamilton County Prosecutor Elyse Deters told the judge investigators believed Phoenix-Brown did more than possess some of the material. "There are multiple videos and images that we believe the defendant engaged in sending, but we cannot prove sending, so it is possession charges," Deters said.
Sentencing and what's ahead
Phoenix-Brown faces six to 18 months in prison on each pandering count and nine to 36 months on the tampering charge. If the judge orders the sentences to run consecutively, he could spend up to 7½ years in prison. The court also discussed the possibility of sex offender registration.
Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 1.
WCPO reported it reached out to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati for comment on Sept. 1 but did not receive a response. No public statement from the Archdiocese appears in available records as of publication.
