NORRISTOWN, Pa. — A Horsham Township man with a prior child pornography conviction will spend the rest of his life in prison after admitting he raped an infant, filmed the abuse, and shared the video online, a Montgomery County judge ruled Friday.
Judge Wendy G. Rothstein sentenced Brian Matthew Groo, 25, of the 200 block of Maple Avenue, to 100 to 200 years in state prison, calling him a continuing danger to the public.
Rothstein’s sentence included four consecutive mandatory 25-year terms, allowable under state law and requested by prosecutors. Forty of the charges carried mandatory penalties.
“You are a danger to the public. You escalated your conduct,” Rothstein said from the bench. “You didn’t just download child pornography; you created it. Additionally, you became a rapist.”
Groo pleaded guilty to rape of a child, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, trafficking of minors, possession and dissemination of child pornography, endangering the welfare of a child, and corruption of minors. The offenses occurred between September and October 2024.
Prosecutors said Groo sexually assaulted a 10-month-old boy, recorded the abuse, and distributed the video through an online messaging platform in exchange for other child sexual abuse materials.
The infant’s mother confronted Groo in court, telling him through tears, “As a mother, I am very angry. It’s like a hot knife going through my heart. It hurts.”
The investigation began Oct. 30, 2024, when county detectives received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reporting that child sexual abuse videos had been uploaded to the Kik messaging platform. One video appeared recently produced and depicted the sexual assault of an infant boy.Detectives traced the material to Groo’s online accounts and his Maple Avenue home. When investigators arrived with a search warrant, Groo revealed a hidden “secret phone” under a couch, which contained the Kik app and the same email address linked to the uploaded videos.
Groo admitted to making the video “on his own accord” and said he sent it to a woman he met on another site, according to court records.
And this wasn’t his first offense! In 2021, Groo was sentenced to 6 to 23 months in county jail and five years’ probation after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography and criminal use of a communication facility stemming from a 2019 investigation. At that time, a forensic search of his cell phone uncovered 499 images of children under the age of 18 engaging in sex acts or poses. A search of his Dropbox account found 37 images and 32 videos.Under that prior sentence, Groo was required to undergo a psychosexual evaluation, complete treatment, register as a sex offender for 25 years, and avoid unsupervised contact with minors.
Judge Rothstein said the lengthy new sentence was necessary to protect the public.
“You stepped up your game and started creating your own child pornography,” she said. “You are a danger to every child.”
