Charlotte Man Sentenced For Possessing & Transporting Child Pornography
Sunday, January 19, 2025, 5:15 P.M. ET. 3 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
CHARLOTTE, NC.- On Wednesday, a 45-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina, convicted child predator learned he would be spending over a decade in federal prison after he was sentenced for possessing thousands of digital images and video files depicting the sexual exploitation and abuse of children.
According to U.S. Attorney Dena J. King, on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, David Williams, 45, of Charlotte, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina and was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Max O. Cogburn, Jr., to 140 months in federal prison, to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release for his previously entered guilty plea to Transportation of Child Pornography.
During Wednesday’s sentencing hearing, Judge Cogburn noted that “this is a serious crime with serious consequences.” In addition to the term of imprisonment, Judge Cogburn ordered Williams to register as a sex offender upon release from prison.
“Williams possessed thousands of images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, yet his criminal conduct did not end there,” said U.S. Attorney King. “Williams produced a surreptitious recording of a prepubescent minor using the bathroom and also used AI technology to modify and alter images of children he found on the internet to generate child sexual abuse material. This type of misuse of technology, and specifically generative AI, is at the forefront of our efforts to protect our children from this emerging threat and secure proper punishment for perpetrators.”
According To Court Documents
   According to documents filed in the District Court, law enforcement investigators received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that an individual in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area was utilizing the internet to upload digital images and video files depicting the sexual exploitation and abuse of prepubescent and pubescent children.
Detectives Were Able To Identify Williams
During the investigation, Detectives were able to trace the IP address and identify Williams as the individual who was uploading the child pornography from the internet. On September 14, 2021, Detectives brought Williams in for an interview. During the interview, Williams denied uploading and possessing any child pornography at first. Williams later admitted to possessing child pornography and turned over some of his electronic devices.
During a forensic examination of Williams’ electronic devices, investigators uncovered digital images and video files depicting the sexual abuse of children, including some video files of children being sexually abused by adults. Investigators learned that Williams did not turn over all of his electronic devices.
Accordingly, on September 16, 2021, law enforcement obtained and executed a court-authorized search warrant at Williams’ residence. During the search, investigators and detectives seized additional electronic devices from Williams’ home.
During a subsequent forensic examination of the additional electronic devices uncovered additional child pornography, including digital images and video files of children as young as toddlers being sexually abused. In total, Williams possessed over 4,000 video files and digital images of child pornography. Additionally, investigators uncovered that Williams produced a surreptitious recording of a prepubescent child using the bathroom.
Williams was taken into custody and charged and was remanded to federal custody. On June 12, 2023, Williams pleaded guilty to the charge he was sentenced for on Wednesday. Williams will be transferred to the Bureau of Prisons in the near future.
