Edgerton, Wisconsin Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Enticement of a Child

 Williams drove over six hours to meet a 15-year-old for sex, after establishing an online relationship with her via Snapchat.

A man who enticed a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity was sentenced on January 14, 2021, to 12 years in federal prison.

Sean Matthew Williams, age 25, from Edgerton, Wisconsin, received the prison term after an August 27, 2020, guilty plea to one count of Coercion and Enticement.

In a plea agreement, Williams admitted that between March 1, and May 8, 2020, he persuaded a person under the age of 18 to engage in illegal sexual activity. He further admitted engaging in cell phone conversations with the victim, whom he knew to be 15 years old. During the conversations, he knowingly persuaded the victim to have sex with him or attempted to do so. Williams admitted driving from Edgerton, Wisconsin to northwest Iowa to have sex with the 15-year-old victim. Williams went to the victim’s residence, picked her up, and was driving with her when stopped by local law enforcement for a traffic violation. Alert questioning by the law enforcement officer resulted in the discovery of Williams’ scheme.  A search of the vehicle Williams was driving revealed a box of condoms, zip ties, and a roll of Gorilla brand tape.  

Williams was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Williams was sentenced to 144 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Williams is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

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.  Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Duax and investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Iowa Crimes Against Children Task Force, the LeMars, Iowa Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.