Child sex abuse probe had to be paused due to Jan. 6 Capitol attack: report

The work to bring a pedophile into custody was put on hold because of the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the Capital.

A child pornography case charging a Virginia man had to be halted just as an FBI agent had launched a sting pretending to be a father with a 9-year-old son, according to a complaint filed in the District of Columbia federal court and first flagged down by Court News Watch.

On Dec. 20, 2020, the feds started to zero in on a Richmond, Virginia man named Brogan Welsh, who claimed to be 28 and expressed a sexual interest in young boys.

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Investigators began gathering various screen grabs in a private chat room allegedly between Welsh and the FBI agent pretender who managed to get invited.

"The purpose of the group was to discuss the sexual abuse of minor boys as well as the sharing of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) of minor boys including sharing pictures and videos," according to the complaint.

The investigation was gleaning various logs of interest allegedly from Welch hoping to engage in some kind of illicit activity with a young boy.

Then, on the fateful day where mobs of people stormed the Capital in a desperate attempt to prevent Congress from certifying the presidential election results that would deliver then President Joe Biden-elect into office.

"On January 6, 2021, FBI, Washington Field Office, this investigation was halted due to events that occurred at the United States Capitol Building that day," the papers say.

It appears the case remained dormant or at least limited with any official pursuit for more than two years.

On Aug. 4, 2023, an FBI field office in Anchorage sought a search warrant of an iPhone belonging to a person other than Welsh; but found that that person had begun corresponding with a handle that traced back to Welsh.

Authorities moved in to arrest Welsh at his home on Oct. 19.

The authorities knocked on the door, documented how Welsh "immediately arose from the seated position, and ran further into the residence, carrying a laptop computer."

They then entered the house and apprehended Welsh, who misunderstood their business, thinking that they were sent by the landlord because he wasn't lawfully permitted to live there, the documents state.

When questioned Welsh allegedly told the officer that he was "attracted to teenagers" and they also found that a 10-year-old boy was living at the home.