66 Year-Old Manistee County Man Sentenced To 20 Years For Producing Child Pornography

          GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN –William Alan Schock, age 66, of Manistee, Michigan, received a 20-year sentence in federal prison today for producing child pornography of two young girls between the ages of 6 and 8. The judge ordered him to pay $25,000 in victim restitution for counseling costs and also ordered him to reimburse the Bureau of Prisons the cost of his confinement to avoid expense to the tax payers.

          For almost four years, between 2011 and 2015, Schock took nude and pornographic photographs of two young girls at his home in Manistee and his second home in Tucson, Arizona. In August 2015, one of the young girls disclosed that Schock was taking pictures of her while she "modeled" naked and that Schock rewarded her with candy. The Michigan State Police (MSP) immediately obtained a search warrant for Schock’s Manistee residence. During the execution of the search warrant, Schock admitted to taking "inappropriate" nude photographs of the child who disclosed the incidents. MSP seized computers, cameras, and CDs and found evidence that Schock victimized a second child as well. Investigators also discovered other child pornography Schock downloaded from the internet. The Manistee County Prosecutor’s Office charged Schock and later turned the case over to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations for federal investigation and prosecution. In June 2016, Schock pled guilty in federal court to one count of producing child pornography.

          At the sentencing hearing today, the Assistant U.S. Attorney read a letter written by the mother of one of the victims. The child’s mother described her fears of the pictures ever surfacing, of people finding out what happened to her daughter, of her child’s mental and emotional quality of life, and of the lifelong trust issues her daughter could face. She wrote how her family has been torn apart and their world turned upside down. In imposing the sentence, U.S. District Judge Robert Holmes Bell discussed the importance of sending a message to other people involved in child pornography that this behavior has significant and serious consequences.

          "It is tragic and all too common for a child predator to prey on children over a period of years and manipulate them into keeping a secret out of a misplaced sense of trust and loyalty to the perpetrator," stated U.S. Attorney PatrickMiles in announcing the sentence. "The urgency with which the Michigan State Police reacted to the child’s disclosure led to the immediate recovery of evidence and justice being served."

          "The tragic reality of many cases like this one is that survivors of child exploitation are most often victimized by a trusted adult," said Marlon Miller of HSI Detroit. "And while this lengthy prison sentence cannot undo the immeasurable harm that Schock inflicted on his young victims, it does prevent him from exploiting any other children and essentially ensures that he will spend the remainder of his life in prison."

          The MSP Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, who conducted the forensic examination on the seized devices alongside Homeland Security Investigations, announced, "We are pleased with the outcome of this case. It is our hope that the victims and their families can take comfort in knowing that this predator will no longer be a threat to society. With that, hopefully their healing can begin."

          Assistant U.S. Attorney Tessa K. Hessmiller prosecuted the federal case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. The U.S. Attorney’s Office; county prosecutor’s offices; and federal, state, and local law enforcement are working closely together to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children. Individuals with information or concerns about possible child exploitation should contact local law enforcement. For more information about Project Safe Childhood in West Michigan, including resources for children and parents, visit: http://www.justice.gov/usao/miw/programs/psc.html.

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