So much so that I didn’t know that I could finish writing the story. Nevertheless I have a job to do and it requires a tough skin.
A former Jacksonville, Florida police officer has been sentenced to life in prison for paying a Texas woman to sexually abuse her 3-year-old daughter and send photos to the officer.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office sent out a news release noting that former Jacksonville Police Officer Michael Eugene Williams was sentenced on Monday. He pleaded guilty in June 2017 to sex trafficking of a child.
The investigation began after the sheriff’s office received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. A search of Williams’ mobile home on Normandy Boulevard uncovered hundreds of child pornography images and videos. 450 images and videos of child pornography were found on Williams’ cellphone, along with an explicit 18-second video of a young naked girl, court documents state.
In February 2016 the 61-year-old Williams met the Texas woman on the internet and asked her to photograph the sexual abuse of her then-3-year-old daughter and to sell the images to him. The mother consented and sent over 50 videos and pictures of her sexually abusing her own daughter.
Williams would ask the mother to send photos of the little girl performing sexual acts on the mother and other people also. Prosecutors say that Williams sent at least 19 Western Union wire transfer payments to the mother.
Williams received life in prison and the woman received 60 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of production of child pornography.
As part of his sentencing Williams was ordered to pay $194,905 to the victim, who is still a child, and forfeit electronic equipment used in the sex trafficking, including a cellular telephone, electronic tablet and internet router, prosecutors said.
22 officer complaints were filed against Williams from 1995 to 2011 which include: conduct supporting criminal acts, conduct unbecoming an officer, and failure to obey an order.
