Waukesha Sheriff's deputy helps nab child porn suspect
CHICAGO (WITI) -- A 45-year-old Chicago man accused of having images and videos of child pornography on his home computer was arrested today on a federal charge of possession of child pornography.
The arrest and charge were announced Monday, April 15th by Cory B. Nelson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Gary S. Shapiro, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.
William Wilson, of 7105 North Ottawa Avenue, was taken into custody without incident earlier today by Special Agents and Investigators assigned to the Chicago FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force (CETF).
Wilson was charged in a criminal complaint filed Thursday, April 11th in U.S. District Court in Chicago with one count of Possession of Child Pornography, which is a felony offense. He appeared earlier Monday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey T. Gilbert and was ordered held until his next court appearance, which is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on April 17, 2013.
According to the complaint, from late November 2012 until late February 2013, Wilson engaged in at least 19 online exchanges with a detective from the Waukesha County (Wisconsin) Sheriff’s Office.
The detective, acting in an undercover capacity, represented himself to be a 15-year-old female, while an individual later identified as Wilson purported to be a 19-year-old bisexual female. During the course of these exchanges, Wilson allegedly transmitted to the detective approximately 76 images and 16 videos depicting child pornography.
The investigation led to the execution of a federal search warrant at Wilson’s residence on March 7, 2013.
The complaint states that pursuant to that warrant, law enforcement officers conducted a preliminary examination of a computer and found numerous images and videos of suspected child pornography. The complaint also states that a subsequent forensic review of that computer and an external hard drive from Wilson’s residence determined that they contained approximately 887 images and 135 videos of suspected child pornography.
In making Monday’s announcement, Mr. Nelson recognized the substantial and invaluable assistance provided by the other law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation that led to today’s arrest. He thanked the Milwaukee office of the FBI, the Cook County Sheriff’s Police (CCSP), the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Office and the Chicago Police Department (CPD) for their dedication to the case.
If convicted of the charge filed against him, Wilson, a registered sex offender, faces a mandatory minimum penalty of ten years and a maximum penalty of twenty years in federal prison. He also faces a maximum fine of $250,000.