A Boise man has been sentenced to 188 months in federal prison after federal prosecutors said he posed online as a 16-year-old girl to manipulate a real 14-year-old victim in New Jersey into sending sexually explicit images. Gregory Conan Williams, who lived in Boise, Idaho, will also serve 15 years of supervised release once his prison term ends, and he must register as a sex offender as a result of his conviction.
U.S. Attorney John C. Shirts announced the sentencing, saying Williams was sentenced to 188 months in federal prison for sexual exploitation of a minor child, according to CBS2 News. CBS2 News reported Williams was 41 years old, while a February report from DailyVoice described him as 40 at the time of the incidents.
How the Scheme Unfolded
According to court records, the case began when the FBI received information from the Wharton Police Department in New Jersey that a social media account was being used to exploit a minor. That messaging and social media account belonged to Williams, court records show, and he used it to pose as a 16-year-old female rather than reveal his real identity or age.
Using that fake persona, Williams persuaded the 14-year-old victim to send sexually explicit images of herself, according to the same court records. Separately, the DailyVoice report said authorities described a similar pattern in which Williams asked the victim several times to send nude photographs, which she provided. That report also said Williams sent images of adult pornography to the girl, while court records cited in connection with the federal case describe him sending hundreds of adult pornography images to the minor victim.
FBI Investigation Led to Arrest
The FBI arrested Williams at his Boise residence in February, closing out an investigation that spanned the distance between Idaho and New Jersey. The DailyVoice report noted that the FBI assisted the Morris County Internet Crimes Against Children unit and Wharton police with the investigation, a collaboration that stretched across state lines to identify and locate Williams.
U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill ordered Williams to serve 15 years of supervised release following his prison sentence, in addition to the 188-month term itself. As a result of his conviction, Williams must also register as a sex offender.
Part of a Pattern of Boise Cases
Williams's case is not the only recent instance of a Boise man receiving a lengthy federal sentence tied to child sexual abuse material. In a separate case, a Justice Department search-result snippet says Terry Benjamin Ellinger, 31, also of Boise, was sentenced to 162 months in federal prison for distributing child pornography. Another snippet says Gary Stanley Williams, 49, of Boise, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for possessing child sexual abuse material.
