A 19-year-old Blaine man has been charged with five counts of allegedly dealing child sexual abuse material and one count of possessing the material in Whatcom County Superior Court.
Julien Barrett Grant, 19, of Blaine, was booked into Whatcom County Jail on April 16 after a nearly yearlong investigation into his alleged dealing and possessing of the illegal materials on the social media platform X.
On June 1, 2025, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a tip of an X user messaging the abuse material to other people on the social media platform on April 30, 2025 and May 1, 2025. The center assigned the investigation to the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office on July 28.
The affidavit of probable cause filed in Whatcom County Superior Court shows that sheriff’s detectives identified Grant as the potential distributor by returns on his IP address, email and address used for online purchases.
In October, detectives interviewed Grant, who, according to court records, “stated he would ‘mess around’ by pretending to be an underage female in order to ‘bait’ ‘pedophiles’ and ‘creepy people,’ and would get money in return.” He told investigators he wouldn’t use “actual children” and denied knowledge of possessing or sending any such materials, court records stated.
Following the interview, detectives found 19 artificial images of sexual abuse involving young children on Grant’s phone, according to court records. Investigators noted in the police report that the material could not be used in the case because it was not illegal at the time. The Washington State Legislature passed a bill this past March that will make fabricated and artificial intelligence-generated child sexual abuse material illegal starting June 11.
Probable cause was established for the initial reports of Grant allegedly dealing CSAM to five people on X and possessing the material on April 30, 2025 and May 1, 2025, according to the sheriff’s office.
As of May 6, Grant remains in Whatcom County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail or $5,000 cash. His next court hearing is a status conference scheduled for May 13.
Brigid Collins Family Support Center, a Bellingham-based nonprofit working to end child abuse, can be reached at 360-734-4616 and brigidcollins.org.
If you or someone you know is affected by domestic or sexual violence, the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services (DVSAS) 24-hour hotline is available at 360-715-1563 or 877-715-1563.
Lummi Victims of Crime has a 24-hour helpline at 360-312-2015. The National Domestic Violence Helpline operates a chat line at thehotline.org/help.
