Miami Man Arrested for Using Bitcoin to Pay for Child Abuse Material

A Miami man has been arrested and charged with 14 counts of possessing images of sexual performance by a child after using Bitcoin to pay for videos of child abuse material, according to police.

The investigation into Brandon Barrera, 22, began in April 2025 when a cybertip reported six images of child sexual abuse material being uploaded to Discord, a popular social-media platform often associated with online gaming.

Detectives searched Barrera's home and detained him. He admitted to being the owner of the Discord account, which he used to upload videos of child abuse.

Barrera said he made multiple $50 Bitcoin payments to a Cash App wallet address to purchase the content, after finding links online to access it via Telegram and WhatsApp.