A Columbus man with a long history of child exploitation crimes has been sentenced to more than 31 years in federal prison, closing a case that prosecutors say showed he went right back to targeting minors online.
William Kisor, 57, received a 378-month sentence on Wednesday after pleading guilty last fall to attempted coercion and enticement. The new term comes on top of earlier federal convictions and more than a decade he has already spent in prison for related child sexual abuse material offenses.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Ohio, U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson imposed the 378-month sentence. The office says Kisor pleaded guilty in October 2025 to attempted coercion and enticement and that the case was announced by U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II and ICE-HSI officials.
Undercover Sting, Prosecutors Say
Federal prosecutors say Kisor went back to the same online persona he had contacted before his earlier convictions, an undercover agent posing as a mother with minor daughters. According to officials, he used email, text messages and phone calls to describe the sexual acts he wanted to carry out.
He was arrested in November 2024 after driving to a hotel in Canal Winchester for what he believed would be a meeting, as reported by WBNS.
Repeat Convictions And Prior Prison Time
The Southern District release notes this is Kisor’s fourth federal child exploitation or child pornography conviction and that he previously served more than 11 years in federal prison for a related offense. Prosecutors say he was on supervised release for earlier convictions when he first communicated in 2012 with the undercover account that later led to this investigation.
What The Law Says
The offense Kisor pleaded to, attempted coercion and enticement, is governed by 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b). That federal statute bars using the mail or any facility of interstate commerce to persuade or entice a person under 18 to engage in sexual activity. Depending on the conduct and the number of counts, it carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison. The full text of the statute is available through Cornell Law School.
What Happens Next
Prosecutors handling the case included Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer M. Rausch and Senior Litigation Counsel Heather A. Hill, and authorities say ICE-HSI assisted the investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office characterized the prosecution as part of Project Safe Childhood, the Justice Department initiative focused on online child sexual exploitation.
If you have information relevant to suspected child exploitation, contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline at report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678). Local law enforcement and federal investigators also welcome tips tied to this matter.
