Ex-Army warrant officer gets 40 years on sex charges

Brantley, who served as a U.S. Army warrant officer, said he was prepared to take his punishment. Before his trial, he had rejected a plea offer of 18 years. He took the risk of taking his case to a jury, and he lost.

So when the judge handed Brantley, 38, consecutive prison sentences totaling 40 years, followed by another 35 years of probation, he reacted little. He simply hugged his mother and sister, both of whom had begged Judge Frank Baker for leniency. And he stepped into the jail cell adjacent to the courtroom.

"You are a danger," Baker had told him before imposing sentence in Collier County Circuit Court. "There has been a great loss to (the victim's) family because of this."

The victim was 14 when she started an Internet relationship with Brantley, who was stationed in Europe. According to testimony, Brantley communicated with the girl online and on the phone for two years before traveling to Broward County to meet her in January 2002.

They had sex there, and after the 16-year-old girl's mother realized her daughter was missing and contacted authorities, Brantley and the girl fled to Naples. The name of the girl won't be published because of the nature of the case.

They holed up together for three days at the Comfort Inn on U.S. 41 East and Goodlette-Frank Road in Naples. Brantley videotaped the two in a multitude of sex acts before he was tracked there by U.S. Secret Service and Naples police investigators through the use of his credit card.

Jurors watched the videotape in the trial, which ended Oct. 23 with his conviction of six of the seven felony counts he faced.

The girl testified she consented to the sex. But, in Florida, that doesn't matter. A person 16 or 17 years of age can't legally consent to sexual activity with someone 24 or older.

Prosecutor Steve Maresca said Brantley knew the girl was underage. She testified Brantley had talked about waiting until she turned 18 before they met in person, and there were court documents showing Brantley knew her date of birth.

Brantley didn't take the stand in his own defense. On the advice of his attorney, Landon Miller, he hasn't given his version of the events because the defense is hoping a successful appeal will overturn the jury's verdict. Anything Brantley would say in court now could be used against him in a retrial later.

Instead, Brantley told Baker he has had two years in Collier County Jail awaiting trial to reflect on what's happened. He insisted he's not the same man now as he was when he came in. But he didn't ask for leniency.

"I'm ready to face what I have to face," Brantley said.

The jury convicted Brantley of four counts of unlawful sexual activity, one count of promoting a sexual performance by a minor and one count of tampering with evidence. The girl and her mother, who was hoping for a life sentence, didn't appear at the sentencing.

Maresca asked for a 50-year prison term for Brantley, whom he called every parent's nightmare as an adult who manipulated a naive child.

"He is the epitome of a predator, he's a danger to society, and he should never walk the streets again," Maresca told the judge.

Brantley's family lauded his 19-year military record, including wartime service in Kuwait and Bosnia.

"My brother has always been an honorable man. He has made a lot of personal sacrifices to serve his country," said his sister, Tamela Harper. "I know he's remorseful, not only for himself but for those who were affected by his actions."

Brantley faces a U.S. Army court martial, meaning he's likely to be stripped of his rank and all retirement-related benefits. And he still faces criminal charges in his home state of Georgia related to allegations of sexually molesting a female relative.