A 76-year-old Hagerstown man has admitted in federal court that he sexually exploited children living in Ecuador by wiring money to their mothers in exchange for abuse. Prosecutors say he paid for sexually explicit images and that investigators later pulled photos from his personal iCloud account.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, William Foster Alger acknowledged that between November 2023 and December 2024, he used mobile phones and online apps to persuade three minors to engage in sexual activity. He then sent Western Union payments to their mothers in exchange for images. Prosecutors say Alger traveled frequently to Ecuador, bought land and built a residence there, and that investigators found numerous photos of the victims and their mothers stored in his iCloud account.
Indictment and charges
A federal grand jury indicted Alger in February 2025 on multiple counts, including sexual exploitation of a child, coercion and enticement, and possession of child sexual-abuse material, as reported by WMAR2 News. The indictment carried steep statutory penalties. Prosecutors say the guilty plea Alger entered this week comes with a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years for the counts he admitted.
How investigators uncovered the case
The case opened in November 2024 after employees at a cell-phone repair shop noticed nude images on a device brought in for service and called Hagerstown police, who then contacted Homeland Security Investigations, according to WFMD. Authorities served a search warrant at Alger’s home and seized multiple electronic devices, a move that ultimately led federal prosecutors to bring the charges that ended with Monday’s plea.
Why this matters
Prosecutors have framed the case as part of a broader push to disrupt cross-border child exploitation, including Project Safe Childhood and a Homeland Security task force targeting transnational crime. Across the country, reports of online enticement have surged: the Washington Post notes that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children logged more than 546,000 online enticement reports in 2024, a spike that investigators say shows just how widespread the problem has become.
What he faces
Alger pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a child and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Sentencing will be set by the court, and prosecutors credited Homeland Security Investigations and the Hagerstown Police Department for their work on the case.
Federal authorities say the case highlights how money transfers and digital platforms can be twisted into tools for exploiting children across borders. Officials are urging anyone with relevant information to contact law enforcement so investigators can follow up.
