A former Florida officer was sentenced Monday to life in prison for allegedly using money from his retirement income to pay a Texas woman to sexually abuse her toddler daughter and send him photos, WOKV reported.
Williams pleaded guilty last June to sex trafficking of a child. According to a news release by a U.S. Attorney’s Office, former Jacksonville officer Michael Eugene Williams was sentenced Monday.
Williams, 61, allegedly asked a woman in Texas to photograph the sexual abuse of her 3-year-old daughter and sell him the images.
An investigation began after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children tipped off the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. After searching Williams’ house, authorities found more than 450 images and videos of child pornography as well sexually-explicit texts between Williams and the woman in Texas in which they discussed the toddler, WOKV reported.
Williams allegedly paid the woman for the photos using retirement from his career as a JSO officer, WOKV reported.
The woman pleading guilty to two counts of production of child pornography and was sentence to 60 years in federal prison. Williams has been ordered to pay restitution to the victim as well as forfeit his phone, table and Internet router, WOKV reported.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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