Portsmouth Man Pleads Guilty to Child Sex Trafficking

NORFOLK, Va. – A Portsmouth man pleaded guilty today to his role in the prostitution of a child at hotels across Virginia Beach and Norfolk.

According to court documents, Timothy Gary Williams, 29, met 17-year-old Jane Doe in October 2018 and the two began dating. Shortly thereafter, Williams and Jane Doe discussed Jane Doe engaging in commercial sex to earn money for the couple. Jane Doe then began regularly engaging in commercial sex acts at hotels in Virginia Beach and Norfolk. Williams rented hotel rooms for her to use with clients, provided her with condoms, acted as security during her commercial sex appointments, and shared the proceeds from her commercial sex acts. Williams and Jane Doe also frequently used drugs, including marijuana and cocaine, together. On February 6, the National Human Trafficking Hotline received information indicating that Jane Doe was being forced to engage in commercial sex by Williams, and that Williams had physically abused Jane Doe, including assaulting her with a metal rod. When Jane Doe was recovered by law enforcement at a hotel in Virginia Beach on February 7, she confirmed that Williams had been violent with her, reporting that he had assaulted her with objects, strangled her, bitten her, and threatened her with violence. 

Williams pleaded guilty to multiple counts of using facilities in interstate commerce to promote and manage the sex trafficking of a child and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison when sentenced on November 4. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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 U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the 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.justice.gov/psc.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Michael K. Lamonea, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Norfolk, and James A. Cervera, Chief of Virginia Beach Police, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert J. Krask accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney V. Kathleen Dougherty is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:19-cr-107.