Bowie County Sex Offender Sentenced for Possessing Child Pornography

TEXARKANA, Texas – A Bowie County sex offender has been sentenced to federal prison for possessing child pornography in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei today.

William Johnson Springer, 60, of Texarkana, Texas, pleaded guilty on Oct. 5, 2020, to possessing child pornography and was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Robert W. Schroeder III. Judge Schroeder also ordered Springer to pay restitution to his victims, to register as a sex offender, and to serve a life term of supervised release following his imprisonment.

“This repeat sex offender victimized the weakest in our community by viewing and possessing child pornography,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. “My office will continue to find and prosecute those who sexually exploit our children by viewing, possessing, distributing, or producing child pornography.”

According to information presented in court, Springer possessed a cell phone, which he used to download and collect images and videos containing child pornography. His collection of more than 600 images included depictions of prepubescent minors, sadistic or masochistic abuse or violence, and sexual abuse and exploitation of infants and toddlers.

Springer was previously convicted of possession of child pornography in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma and on Feb. 9, 2009, was sentenced to 67 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release as a result of that conviction.  Springer also has pending charges for failure to comply with registration requirements in the 202nd District Court in Bowie County.

This case is being 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 marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, 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.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan R. Hornok.