NYC man who ‘sextorted' girl, created child pornography gets life in prison
Mar 18, 2025
A man from New York has been sentenced to spend life in prison after investigators found he talked to a teen girl online, manipulated her into sending him nude photos before using those images as leverage to get her to meet at a Jersey Shore hotel where he had sex with her.
In September of 2020,
Zachary Williams, 37, met a 13-year-old New Jersey girl online and lied about his age by telling her he was just 17 — even though he was 33 at the time, according to court documents.
During their conversation, Williams is accused of asking her for nude photographs, then, once he received them, Williams threatened to send the pictures to her family and friends, officials said in a statement.
At one point, Williams talked the victim into meeting him at a hotel in Atlantic County to let her delete the nude photos of herself off of his phone.
Then, on Oct. 20, 2020, Williams went to the hotel in Atlantic County and “engaged in sexual intercourse” with the girl two days later in the hotel room.
Following this, Williams continued to threaten that he would share her nude photographs despite their agreement, officials said.
Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673.
In March of 2021, law enforcement officials conducted a sting operation where they pretended to be the young girl and convinced Williams to return to the Atlantic County hotel.
Williams was arrested as a result of this operation and when investigators reviewed his phone, they found several images of child pornography that showed more child-aged victims in both New York and Connecticut, where additional charges remain pending against Williams, officials said.
Williams has been convicted of two counts of interstate travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, production of and possession of child pornography, and coercion and enticement of a minor.
“Zachary Williams is a callous sexual predator whose crimes against children were especially cruel,” U.S. Attorney John Giordano said in a statement. “First and foremost, the Court’s imposed sentence will forever protect our children from further abuse by Williams. My office, and our law enforcement partners, are steadfast in our commitment to protecting our nation’s young people.”
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