PORTLAND, OR—U.S. District Court Anna J. Brown today
sentenced Jefferson F. Williams, 49, of Salem, Oregon, to 60 months in
prison for distribution of child pornography.
Salem FBI agents searched the Salem home of Williams on March 3, 2011, and seized his computer and related equipment. Undercover FBI agents in Texas had been monitoring a peer-to-peer file sharing system that allowed individuals to download and exchange files via the Internet. When the Salem computer belonging to Williams and his wife was identified, agents served a search warrant at the home and interviewed Williams regarding his distribution activities. He cooperated fully with law enforcement and admitted his involvement in the file trading program.
A forensic analysis revealed over 1,800 images of child pornography had been downloaded from the Internet. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children identified series images of 18 known victims stored on the seized computer.
Williams, a highly decorated retired U.S. Marine Corps gunnery sergeant and combat veteran, apologized to his family at his sentencing hearing. He had no criminal record and was active in community activities as a volunteer.
The seized computer was ordered forfeited, and Williams was ordered to serve five years of supervised release after his release from prison.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “Resources.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney John Haub prosecuted the case.
Salem FBI agents searched the Salem home of Williams on March 3, 2011, and seized his computer and related equipment. Undercover FBI agents in Texas had been monitoring a peer-to-peer file sharing system that allowed individuals to download and exchange files via the Internet. When the Salem computer belonging to Williams and his wife was identified, agents served a search warrant at the home and interviewed Williams regarding his distribution activities. He cooperated fully with law enforcement and admitted his involvement in the file trading program.
A forensic analysis revealed over 1,800 images of child pornography had been downloaded from the Internet. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children identified series images of 18 known victims stored on the seized computer.
Williams, a highly decorated retired U.S. Marine Corps gunnery sergeant and combat veteran, apologized to his family at his sentencing hearing. He had no criminal record and was active in community activities as a volunteer.
The seized computer was ordered forfeited, and Williams was ordered to serve five years of supervised release after his release from prison.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “Resources.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney John Haub prosecuted the case.
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