A New York man, Zachary Williams, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for multiple child sex offenses. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney John Giordano in Camden, New Jersey. Williams, aged 37 and a resident of New York City, was convicted of several charges including interstate travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, production and possession of child pornography, and coercion and enticement of a minor.
The case against Williams revealed that he met a 13-year-old minor on Snapchat in September 2020. He misrepresented his age as 17 when he was actually 33. After obtaining nude photographs from the minor under false pretenses, he threatened to distribute them unless she complied with his demands. This led to their meeting at an Atlantic County hotel where he engaged in sexual activities with her.
In March 2021, law enforcement officers arrested Williams through a sting operation at the same hotel location by posing as the victim. His phone contained numerous images of child pornography leading to further investigations into additional victims across New York and Connecticut.
U.S. District Judge Christine P. O’Hearn handed down the life sentence for coercion and enticement along with concurrent sentences for other charges related to interstate travel and child pornography offenses.
“Zachary Williams is a callous sexual predator whose crimes against children were especially cruel,” stated U.S. Attorney John Giordano. “First and foremost, the Court’s imposed sentence will forever protect our children from further abuse by Williams.”
FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly emphasized the importance of protecting children: "A 13-year-old by any normal definition is a child... At FBI Newark, alongside our law enforcement partners, we are relentless in our mission to track down and remove these dangerous predators from our communities—because every child deserves to grow up safe and free from harm."
Special agents from the FBI's Newark Division worked closely with local law enforcement agencies including the Galloway Township Police Department, Atlantic City Police Department, and Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office during this investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Diana Vondra Carrig and Patrick C. Askin represented the government in this case.
