Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Western District of Michigan
Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN - William Russell Odett, 41, of Grandville, Michigan pleaded guilty on Monday, Feb. 11, 2013, to distributing images of child pornography via the Internet, U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Miles, Jr. announced today. Odett faces a minimum of five years and a maximum of 20 years of imprisonment, and he will be required to serve a term of supervised release after his prison term has been completed. Odett will also be required to register as a sexual offender.
The case stemmed from an undercover online investigation that took place in May 2012. During that investigation, an undercover officer was able to download child pornography that Odett had made available on the Internet. Agents then executed a search warrant at Odett’s home and recovered a number of computers that contained a substantial collection of child pornography.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. The U.S. Attorney's Office, county prosecutor's offices, the Internet Crimes Against Children task force (ICAC), federal, state, and local law enforcement are working closely together to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children. The partners in Project Safe Childhood work to educate local communities about the dangers of online child exploitation, and to teach children how to protect themselves. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit the following web site: www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean M. Lewis prosecuted the case.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
