Middletown man who pretended to be teenage boy online pleads guilty to coercing, exploiting minor girls

CINCINNATI – A Middletown man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to 11 counts of federal child exploitation crimes. The plea agreement includes a recommended sentence of 26 years in prison.  

William Scott Elam, 53, connected with girls between the ages of 10 and 16 on various online chatting apps. He pretended to be a 14-year-old male and coerced or attempted to coerce the minor victims into creating nude images and videos that involved sexual conduct.

For approximately four years, Elam began online relationships with numerous minor females in at least seven states. Law enforcement officers have identified at least 10 victims to date. He admitted to coercing victims into masturbating on live video calls with him.

He manipulated at least one victim into complying by threatening to harm himself if she did not do as he asked. He instructed another victim to self-harm via cutting on live video after learning the victim had a history of self-harm.

Elam coerced victims into sending him live sexual material by threatening to leak naked images he obtained of them.

The defendant was arrested in October 2023. He pleaded guilty today to 10 counts of coercion and enticement and one count of sexual exploitation of children.

Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the guilty plea entered on July 14 before U.S. District Judge Jeffery P. Hopkins. Assistant United States Attorney Kyle J. Healey is representing the United States in this case.

# # #