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John E. “Jed” Brunst

No alias recorded

ChargedArrestedConvictedAcquittedSentenced

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.

Legal history

Every step recorded in the public legal record for this person, in the order it happened.

These entries describe procedure only. Nothing here establishes guilt, and a charge remains an allegation until a court rules.

  1. March 28, 2018

    Charged by United States Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona.

  2. April 6, 2018

    Arrested by Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States. Initial appearance 2018-04-09 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Bridget S. Bade; released pending trial.

  3. November 16, 2023

    Convicted by United States Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona.

  4. November 16, 2023

    Acquitted by United States Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona in Phoenix, AZ, United States. 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.

  5. August 28, 2024

    Sentenced by United States Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona.

Record note. Dates follow the earliest official announcement of each step. Where proceedings were subject to reporting restrictions, this entry records only what was published.

Court cases in which this person is named. Being named in a case is not a finding of guilt. Charges are accusations only.

Case Court Docket number Status
United States v. Lacey et al. United States District Court for the District of Arizona CR-18-00422-PHX-DJH Lacey, Spear and Brunst convicted and sentenced (2024-08-28); Lacey's appeal is pending in the Ninth Circui...