John E. “Jed” Brunst
No alias recorded
Charged, Arrested, Convicted, Acquitted, Sentenced
Public record reviewed to August 23, 2026
Index entry last updated August 23, 2026
Co-owner.
A conviction or guilty plea is recorded in this entry.
- Publicly named in the Backpage prosecution; role: Owner/executive.
Everything on this page comes from cited public sources.
This entry records 5 actions across 1 takedown, each traced to a cited source. At least one linked takedown was added in the extended pass and was not independently source verified. Where the record is silent, this page says so rather than filling the gap.
Legal summary
- Associated takedowns
- Backpage.com seizure
- Recorded role
- Co-owner
- Group segment
- Core operator
- Charging authority
- United States Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona
- Charging jurisdiction
- Not recorded
- Case number
- CR-18-00422-PHX (BSB)
- Latest recorded action
- Sentenced, August 2024
- Nationality
- Not established
- Country of residence
- United States
- Recorded sentence
- 120 months imprisonment (60 months on Count 1 plus 60 months consecutive on Counts 52, 53-62 and 64-68); three years supervised release; USD 50,000 fine; USD 1,700 special assessment.
Associated takedowns
Law enforcement actions against infrastructure and services linked to this person, and the action recorded against the person in each one.
Outcomes and dates follow the public reporting cited on the sources tab and are subject to revision.
5 recorded actions across 1 takedown
| Date | Takedown | Target | Connection | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 28, 2018 , Source [1] [6] | Backpage.com seizure , Trafficking and exploitation | Backpage.com , backpage.com | Co-owner | Charged . No further detail published |
| April 6, 2018 , Source [2] | Backpage.com seizure , Trafficking and exploitation | Backpage.com , backpage.com | Owner/executive | Arrested . Initial appearance 2018-04-09 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Bridget S. Bade; released pending trial. |
| November 16, 2023 , Source [3] [4] [5] | Backpage.com seizure , Trafficking and exploitation | Backpage.com , backpage.com | Core operator | Convicted . No further detail published |
| November 16, 2023 , Source [6] | Backpage.com seizure , Trafficking and exploitation | Backpage.com , backpage.com | Core operator | Acquitted . The jury returned not-guilty verdicts on Counts 2-51 and 63. A second amended judgment of acquittal was entered 2024-08-27 and the defendant was additionally discharged as to Counts 69-70, 78-84 and 86-93. |
| August 28, 2024 , Source [4] [5] [6] | Backpage.com seizure , Trafficking and exploitation | Backpage.com , backpage.com | Core operator | Sentenced . No further detail published |