Missouri truck driver sentenced in Texas to 10 years in prison for child pornography

LAREDO, Texas — A truck driver, who was initially attempting to transport illegal aliens through a Border Patrol checkpoint, was sentenced Monday to 10 years for possessing child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas. 

This investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with the assistance of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Border Patrol.

Timothy Glenn Williams, 50, of Carl Junction, Missouri, was sentenced July 12 by U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo to 120 months in federal prison, followed by 25 years of supervised release. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender. Williams pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography Nov. 12, 2014.

According to court documents, on May 8, 2012, Williams was arrested at the CBP station located on Interstate 35, north of Laredo, for transporting illegal aliens within the U.S. for profit. A CBP canine had alerted to the tractor he was driving which led authorities to conduct further inspection. A total of 15 aliens were subsequently discovered within the trailer. Upon further investigation by HSI, they found suspected images of child pornography on Williams’ cell phone. Forensic analysis ultimately led to the discovery of 297 images of child pornography in his possession. Williams also admitted to HSI agents that he had downloaded the child pornography from the Internet.

During the sentencing hearing July 13, Judge Marmolejo heard additional evidence regarding Williams’ cell phone contact list, which included 83 underage females he claimed to have met online. Although their birthdates clearly appeared on his phone, Williams attempted to convince the court that he did not realize all of the girls were underage and that he did not know he had befriended so many young females online.

 Williams has been in custody since his arrest; he will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sonah Lee, Southern District of Texas, is prosecuting the case.  

This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 10,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2014, more than 2,300 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1000 victims identified or rescued.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.

HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.