Repeat Sex Offender Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Creating Video of His Rape of a Child

          A repeat sex offender who repeatedly raped a child left in his care was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 30 years in prison and lifetime supervised release, announced U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes.  LEROY ANTHONY WILLIAMS, 33, was arrested in September 2014, when the victim’s mother called Auburn Police after finding a video of a sexual assault of a child on his phone.  WILLIAMS attempted to destroy the phone before police arrived, but was unsuccessful.  At sentencing U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik said WILLIAMS’ conduct was “horribly depraved and awful…. We need to get you off the streets and away from children.”

            According to records filed in the case, an Auburn resident called 9-1-1 on September 29, 2014 after finding a video on WILLIAMS’ phone showing him raping an 11-year-old child.  WILLIAMS has a prior conviction as a juvenile for sexually assaulting a 6-year-old child and has repeatedly failed to register as a sex offender as required by law.  Because of his prior conviction WILLIAMS is subject to a 25-year mandatory minimum prison term.

            Federal charges were brought in October 2014.  WILLIAMS pleaded guilty on December 17, 2015.  Following today’s sentencing he will be transferred to King County to face charges for the rape of the child in this case.

            The case was investigated by the Auburn Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.

           The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Hampton.

          This case was 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.justice.gov/psc