Johnson City Man Convicted On Production Of Child Pornography

Sunday, November 17, 2024, 10:30 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

GREENEVILLE, TN.- A 53-year-old Johnson City, Tennessee convicted serial rapist and child sexual predator faces spending the next 45 years to 90 years in federal prison after being convicted on Thursday for sexually abusing three children and filming his horrific acts in order to produce child pornography.

     U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton, III, reported that on Thursday, November 14, 2024, following a three-day trial, a federal jury for the Eastern District of Tennessee found Sean Christopher Williams, 53, of Johnson City, guilty on three counts of Production of Child Pornography.

     Following the jury’s findings, U.S. District Court Judge J. Ronnie Greer accepted the guilty verdicts and filed them with the court. Judge Greer scheduled sentencing for February 24, 2025, at which time Williams faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in federal prison on each of the three counts.

Evidence Presented At Trial

     According to evidence and testimony presented at trial showed that Williams used three children to engage in sexually explicit conduct and took pictures of such conduct. The sexually explicit conduct took place on various dates at Williams’ apartment in Johnson City, Tennessee. 

     The evidence proved, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Williams sexually assaulted each of the children’s mothers while they were unconscious and, around the same time, took pornographic pictures of their young children. The criminal conduct extended over 12 years, beginning with the first child victim in 2008 and the other two children on separate occasions in 2020.

Jury-Shown Sexually Explicit Photos

     During the trial, the jury was shown evidence of explicit photos of the victims that included Williams’ hands depicting a distinctive tattoo on his middle finger and a scar on his wrist.

     The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.