Plymouth Man Sentenced on Federal Child Pornography Charges
MINNEAPOLIS -- A Plymouth, Minnesota man has been sentenced to 19 years in prison after pleading guilty to federal child pornography charges.
The U.S. Attorney's Office says 23-year-old Derek Williams will also be on supervised release for the rest of his life.
Williams pleaded guilty in August to one count of advertising child pornography, one count of production of child pornography, and one count of distribution of child pornography.
The U.S. Attorney's office says Williams used various online accounts and aliases to communicate with children both in the U.S. and abroad to sexually exploit them. Authorities say he used a virtual private network known as a VPN and coded language in attempts to avoid detection by law enforcement.
The case is the result of an investigation by the FBI and was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
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