William Steven Wooten, a 46-year-old resident of Lexington, South Carolina, was convicted by a federal jury on one count of possession of child sexual abuse material after a two-day trial in Spartanburg. The conviction follows an investigation led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) into Wooten’s use of a fraudulent military discharge document known as form DD-214.
According to evidence presented during the trial, Wooten falsely claimed to be a combat veteran and recipient of a Purple Heart. He used the fraudulent document to seek employment and persuade a single mother that he was trustworthy around her children. However, investigators found that Wooten had never served in the military.
The FBI obtained a search warrant for Wooten’s phone as part of their stolen valor investigation. During the search, agents discovered both the fake DD-214 and images classified as child sexual abuse material. Forensic analysis revealed 203 images depicting such abuse. Search terms found on his devices indicated that Wooten was specifically seeking images involving young girls and children being abused by adults.
The press release noted that just eight months before these discoveries, Wooten had been convicted in state court for criminal sexual conduct with a minor. Two weeks prior to his federal trial, he also pleaded guilty to possessing the fraudulent discharge document.
Wooten now faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison for possessing child sexual abuse material. He could also be fined up to $250,000 and ordered to pay restitution. U.S. District Judge Donald C. Coggins oversaw the trial and will determine sentencing after reviewing a pre-sentence report from the U.S. Probation Office.
The case involved cooperation between the FBI Columbia Field Office and the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bill Watkins and Winston Marosek are prosecuting.
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