Oak Hill man pleads guilty to possession of child pornography

Defendant had more than 600 child-pornography photos and videos

CHARLESTON, W. Va. – An Oak Hill, West Virginia man pleaded guilty today to possessing child pornography, United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced. William A. Cracraft, 52, admitted to having more than 600 photographs and videos of child pornography on his computers and mobile phones.

The images included sexually explicit depictions of prepubescent minors, as well as scenes of sadistic and masochistic conduct and of violence toward minors.

Cracraft faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced on October 8, 2015. The devices containing the child pornography will be destroyed.

The Department of Homeland Security and the West Virginia State Police conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Goes is handling the prosecution. United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr., conducted the plea hearing.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/wvs/PSCpage.html.