Retired Police Officer Sentenced to 10 Years for Transporting Minor Across State Lines for Illegal Sexual Purpose

MADISON, WIS. – Scott C. Blader, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Larry Woods, 63, Beloit, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 10 years in federal prison, to be followed by 12 years of supervised release, for transporting a minor from Wisconsin to Illinois for an illegal sexual purpose.  Woods pleaded guilty to this offense on August 7, 2019.

Woods retired from the Beloit Police Department in 2007 after working for the department for 25 years.  After retiring, he worked as a school safety officer with the Beloit Public School system, and as a security monitor for the Beloit Public Library.  Woods was a friend of the family of his minor victim, and had known his 13-year-old victim her entire life.  Woods gained the trust of his victim’s mother by offering to be a mentor.  He groomed his victim for months, and had a sexual relationship with her from late 2017 through his arrest in June 2018.  Woods often transported his victim to Rockford, Illinois, where he rented hotel rooms to engage in sexual activity.  Woods was convicted of repeated sexual assault of his victim in Rock County, Wisconsin, and was sentenced to 12 years in state prison, to be followed by five years extended supervision, on September 27, 2019.       

Judge Peterson ordered the federal sentence to run concurrently with Woods’ state sentence.  Judge Peterson noted that Woods targeted an extremely vulnerable victim, and that his crime was truly outrageous.

The charge against Woods is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Beloit Police Department.  The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Pfluger.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.