Asheville Man Is Sentenced To Seven Years In Prison For Downloading Child Pornography

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Today, U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger sentenced Sammy Horace Williams, II, to 84 months in prison and a lifetime of supervised release on child pornography charges, announced Andrew Murray, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Williams, 55, of Asheville, was also ordered to register as a sex offender after he is released from prison, and to pay a $5,000 special assessment and $3,000 in restitution.

Ronnie Martinez, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations in North Carolina joins U.S. Attorney Murray in making today’s announcement.

According to court documents and information introduced at the sentencing hearing, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents conducting an investigation into child pornography on the internet became aware that an individual, later identified as Williams, was accessing child pornography online. On May 18, 2017, HSI agents executed a search warrant at Williams’ residence. During the search, they seized multiple computer devices, thumb drives, and CDs belonging to Williams. A forensic analysis of the seized items revealed that Williams possessed more than 450 videos and 1,647 images of child pornography, some of which depicted prepubescent minors engaging in sadistic and masochistic or other lewd and lascivious conduct. 

On October 30, 2019, Williams pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography. In filed plea documents, Williams admitted to downloading child pornography via the internet to his computer and other storage devices.

Williams is currently in federal custody.  All federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole. 

U.S. Attorney Murray thanked HSI for their handling of this investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Asheville prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice, aimed at combating the growing online sexual exploitation of children.  By combining resources, federal, state and local agencies are better able to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue those victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov