LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that an Alexandria man pleaded guilty Tuesday to attempting to send obscene material to a minor.
William Ware, 38, of Alexandria, La., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell to one count of attempting to transfer obscene material to a minor. According to the guilty plea, on December 9, 2014, Ware contacted a 13-year-old minor female using social media over the internet. He then sent the minor two sexually explicit videos using an internet chat service. The minor was in fact an undercover agent, and Ware was later arrested.
Ware faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date of July 20, 2016 was set.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamilla A. Bynog is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Homeland Security Investigations/Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) also encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at (866) 347-2423. Investigators are available at all hours to answer hotline calls. Tips or other information can also be submitted to ICE online by visiting their website at www.ice.gov/exec/forms/hsi-tips/tips.asp or through the Operation Predator smartphone application www.ice.gov/predator/smartphone-app. Tips may be submitted anonymously.