A Bristol Township man who is a registered sex offender was sentenced today to 10 to 20 years in state prison following a multi-agency investigation into the possession of child sexual abuse material.
Gary Durfee, 72, of the Croydon section of the township, was sentenced by Bucks County Common Pleas Court Judge Stephen A. Corr. Durfee previously pleaded guilty in May to three counts of possession of child sexual abuse material.
In addition to his state prison sentence, Durfee was classified as a Tier III offender under Pennsylvania law, requiring him to register as a sex offender for life.
The investigation began in May 2024 after the FBI’s Fort Washington Resident Agency uncovered online conversations between Durfee and a known child sexual exploitation subject in Tennessee. Durfee received child sexual abuse material via WhatsApp under the name “Corey Bratton,” which investigators linked to his residence on Sycamore Avenue in Croydon. The messaging account contained direct messages with numerous illicit images and videos depicting young boys.
In June 2024, the Lower Makefield Township Police Department was contacted by the Chandler, Arizona, Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force during a separate investigation. Authorities discovered communication and image sharing involving Durfee’s Facebook account, also operating under the alias “Corey Bratton.” A search warrant served on Facebook confirmed the account’s active participation in distributing explicit images of young boys.
On March 14, 2025, a search warrant was executed at Durfee’s Croydon home by the FBI, Lower Makefield Township Police, and the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office. Investigators seized multiple electronic devices, including a laptop connected to a digital drive containing hundreds of images of prepubescent boys. During the search, Durfee admitted to investigators that the seized items belonged to him.
“Protecting children from sex offenders remains one of our highest priorities, and this sentence ensures a repeat offender is removed from our community for a very long time,” District Attorney Joe Khan said.
Lower Makefield Township Police Chief Joseph Kelly emphasized the inter-agency effort that led to the conviction.
“This arrest demonstrates the power of collaboration among law enforcement,” Chief Kelly said. “Working with other agencies, our detective was able to protect children and bring this offender to justice.”
The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney David O’Beirne. The investigation was conducted by detectives with the Lower Makefield Township Police Department and the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, with assistance from the FBI and partner ICAC agencies.
