MIDDLETOWN — A Middletown man has learned his sentence for coercing minors online into creating nude images and videos involving sexual conduct.
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William Scott Elam, 53, pleaded guilty in July to 10 counts of coercion and enticement and one count of sexual exploitation of children.
He was sentenced this week to 312 months in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.
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According to court documents, Elam pretended to be a 14-year-old boy and engaged in online relationships with numerous minor females, between the ages of 10 and 16, across at least seven states over approximately four years.
He targeted vulnerable minors, particularly those who had previously engaged in self-harm or had body or social issues.
Elam coerced victims into performing sexual acts on live video calls and manipulated them by threatening self-harm or to leak naked images he had obtained.
“There are real-life consequences to actions taken online,” said U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II. “Predators like Elam hide behind a computer screen while preying on vulnerable children. But the harm they cause is real, and so is the significant amount of time they will spend in federal prison to account for those actions.”
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