John E. Childress Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana
William Virgil Russell, II, a 33-year-old resident of Evansville, has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release. This follows his guilty plea for possession of sexually explicit material involving minors.
Court documents reveal that on April 3, 2023, Instagram reported an account owned by Russell had accessed a video suspected to contain child sexual abuse material. The video depicted an adult male attempting to rape a prepubescent minor female.
Law enforcement worked with Instagram and discovered additional child sexual abuse materials linked to Russell's account. Posts soliciting underage videos were found stating, "Looking for freaks with young kids or siblings that need $$” and "Looking for under l2 to buy from hit me up.”
On September 26, 2023, investigators searched Russell’s home in Evansville and recovered his cellphone. They found 21 sexually explicit images involving minors and chat transcripts where Russell described himself as a pedophile who preferred toddlers. He asked women for nude images of their children, often offering payment.
Russell was already a registered sex offender due to a previous felony conviction for possession of child sexual abuse material in Warrick County, Indiana. After his release from prison, he must remain registered as a sex offender wherever he resides or works.
John E. Childress, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana stated: “Every parent should know that social media apps like Instagram are not safe spaces for young children and are often hunting grounds for predators who seek gratification from their exploitation.” He commended the FBI and Evansville Police Department investigators and Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd S. Shellenbarger for their work on this case.
The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young following investigations by the FBI and Evansville Police Department.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local resources.
Victims of child sexual exploitation are encouraged to contact local police departments. Resources can be found at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdin/project-safe-childhood
