BRANDON, Miss. (WJTV) – A Brandon man was sentenced to 50 years in prison for production of child pornography and possession of child pornography.

Prosecutors said 44-year-old Emilio Bellizzia, also known as Juan Emilio Bellizzia, was sentenced on Tuesday, April 4 in U.S. District Court in Jackson.

During 2021, FBI agents from Milwaukee and Jackson, along with the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, investigated groups of individuals who were engaged in the receipt, possession, distribution, and production of child sex abuse material. 

On September 15, 2022, agents executed a federal search warrant at Bellizzia’s home in Brandon. Investigators said they found several electronic devices containing child pornography.

They said Bellizzia attempted to flee to Mexico the following day.  

He was indicted by a federal grand jury and pled guilty on January 6, 2023, to production of child pornography and possession of child pornography.

Bellizzia was sentenced to serve two concurrent 30 year sentences for two counts of production of child pornography and a consecutive sentence of 20 years to serve for possession of child pornography, for a total of 50 years, followed by a lifetime of supervised release. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office.