klawock man sentenced to 40 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography
Anchorage, Alaska – United States Attorney Karen Loeffler announced that a Klawock man was sentenced in federal court in Anchorage to 40 months in prison and fined $2,000 for his conviction of possession of child pornography.
On May 10, 2011, William Benson Woods, Jr., 48, of Klawock, Alaska, was sentenced by United States District Judge John W. Sedwick. The Court also ordered that Woods will serve seven years of supervised release, upon the completion of his prison sentence.
According to information presented to the court by Assistant United States Attorney Jack S. Schmidt, Woods possessed 57 images and four videos of child pornography on his computer and other electronic media. The evidence further showed Woods had possessed images and videos of child pornography since November 2005. Woods had opened a Hotmail E-mail account for the exclusive use receiving and possessing child pornography and had given the password to his E-mail account to others, including an individual located in the Netherlands, who also used the account to possess and receive child pornography.
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Sedwick noted the seriousness of the offense, importance of deterring Woods and other potential defendants from the possession of child pornography in the future, as well as to promote respect for the law.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation leading to the conviction of Woods.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood combines federal, state and local resources to better identify, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
