Georgia Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Child Sex Abuse Offenses

Dwain D. Williams, age 37, a resident of Pelham, Georgia, was sentenced today (January 28) before the Honorable W. Louis Sands, United States District Court Judge for the Middle District of Georgia, to life in prison for child sex abuse offenses, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division and United States Attorney Michael J. Moore of the Middle District of Georgia.

Williams was convicted on Aug. 19, 2010, by a federal jury in Valdosta, Georgia, of one count of traveling in foreign commerce and engaging in illicit sexual conduct, one count of aggravated sexual abuse and one count of abusive sexual contact of a child under 12 years of age. The aggravated sexual abuse and the abusive sexual contact charges were committed while Williams was accompanying a member of the Armed Forces outside of the United States in violation of the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (MEJA).

At trial, the female victim testified that Williams had repeatedly raped her starting from when she was nine years old until she was 13.

“The law, not to mention human decency, demands that we protect innocent children, whether they be here or abroad, from predators like Mr. Williams”, said United States Attorney Moore.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Leah McEwen of the Middle District of Georgia and Trial Attorney Mi Yung Park of the Criminal Division’s CEOS. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Office of Special Investigations for Moody Air Force.

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Atlanta Man Sentenced for Seeking Sex with an 8-Year-Old Girl

MARK MICHAEL STEVENS, 43, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced today to 11 years in federal prison on a federal charge of attempting to entice a minor to engage in sex.

Sally Quillian Yates, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, said, “This defendant sought to have sex with an 8-year-old girl—not 18, but 8. His criminal conduct serves as a chilling but important reminder that child predators remain a threat in our community and that parents, teachers, and loved ones must remain watchful for our children, especially when they are online.”

United States District Court Judge Timothy C. Batten, Sr., sentenced BOWDEN to 11 years in federal prison, to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release.

According to United States Attorney Yates and the evidence in the public record in this case: In August 2009, STEVENS, an integrated technologies (“I.T.”) manager at Bull Realty in Atlanta at the time of the offense, met the mother of the 8-year-old in an online chat room known as “dad&daughtersex.” Of the course of several days, STEVENS, using the moniker “WickeDad.” and the mother—actually an undercover FBI task force officer—discussed how STEVENS could have sexual access to the mother’s daughter. STEVENS described in graphic detail what he hoped to do with the young girl and claimed that this would not be his first such experience.

STEVENS eventually sent photos of himself, clothed and unclothed, and provided a phone number so that he could speak with the mother and confirm that she and her daughter were “real.” During the phone calls, STEVENS again discussed the illegal sex acts he intended to perform with the girl.

On September 2, 2009, STEVENS traveled to J. Christopher’s Restaurant in Sandy Springs, where he and the mother had agreed to meet before retiring to the mother’s apartment so that he could have sex with her daughter. He was arrested as he stepped out of his car and has remained in custody ever since.

This case was investigated by agents and officers of the Atlanta Safe Child Task Force, which is led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Atlanta Division.

Assistant United States Attorney Robert McBurney prosecuted the case.

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Georgia Man Convicted of Child Sex Abuse Offenses

Dwain D. Williams was convicted Thursday by a federal jury in Valdosta, Ga., on child sex abuse offenses, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division and Acting U.S. Attorney G.F. Peterman III of the Middle District of Georgia.

Williams was convicted of one count of traveling in foreign commerce and engaging in illicit sexual conduct, one count of aggravated sexual abuse, and one count of abusive sexual contact of a child under 12 years of age. The aggravated sexual abuse and the abusive sexual contact charges were committed while Williams was accompanying a member of the Armed Forces outside of the United States in violation of the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (MEJA). Williams faces a possible mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison for his conviction.

At trial, the female victim, currently 15 years old, testified that Williams had repeatedly raped her starting from when she was 9 years old until she was 13, when she lived in Okinawa, Japan.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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.projectsafechildhood.gov.

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Bibb County Sheriff’s Deputy Sentenced for Seeking Sex with 7-Year-Old Girl

Having been found guilty of attempting to entice a minor to engage in sex, GREGORY TODD BOWDEN, 44, of Byron, Georgia, was sentenced June 11 to 20 years in federal prison.

“Defendant Bowden sought to have sex with a 7-year-old girl. Seven years old. At the time of his crime, Bowden was a sheriff’s deputy—someone who had sworn to enforce the law and protect the public. He failed on both counts. With today’s sentence, the law has been enforced and the public will be protected from Bowden’s predations for 20 years,” said Sally Quillian Yates, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.

According to United States Attorney Yates and the evidence presented during the trial: BOWDEN, an eight-year veteran of the Bibb County Sheriff’s Department, frequented online chat rooms in which he engaged in fantasy role-playing about incest and other child sex acts. In October 2008, he befriended a woman online whom he believed to have a 7-year-old daughter. This woman—actually an undercover FBI task force agent—told BOWDEN she was willing to make her daughter available to him for sex. In February 2009, BOWDEN and the mother, through additional chats, e-mails, and phone calls, agreed to meet for the purpose of having three-way sex: BOWDEN, the mother, and the 7-year-old daughter. On February 11, 2009, BOWDEN drove 110 miles from his home in Byron to Sandy Springs, where he expected to meet the mother and her daughter. He was arrested at the scene. Agents later recovered a computer from his home on which they found child pornography and other evidence of interest in incest and sex with minors.

District Court Judge William S. Duffey, Jr., sentenced BOWDEN to 20 years in custody in the Bureau of Prisons, to be followed by five years of supervised release.

This case was investigated by agents and officers of the Atlanta Safe Child Task Force, which is led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Atlanta Division.

Assistant United States Attorneys Robert McBurney and Corey Steinberg prosecuted the case.

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Convicted Felon Indicted for Sex Trafficking of a Minor

CHESIRE MARTINEZ ROBINSON, a/k/a “Candyman,” 28, of Austell, Georgia, was arraigned today on federal charges of trafficking of a minor for sex; transporting a minor in interstate commerce for prostitution; and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. ROBINSON, who is being held on unrelated state charges, was arraigned before United States Magistrate Judge Gerrilyn Brill and remains detained.

United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said, “The FBI and our other partner law enforcement agencies continue to see the brutal victimization of young girls by men who force them into prostitution, and use violence and intimidation to keep them there. We have charged a number of similar cases this year alone, and will continue to find and prosecute these predators who belong in a federal prison where there is no parole.”

FBI Atlanta Acting Special Agent in Charge Ricky Maxwell said, “Exploiting a minor child by forcing her into prostitution is a despicable act that cannot be tolerated. The FBI funds and operates a task force consisting of agents and officers from the surrounding area who are dedicated to combating child prostitution in the region by targeting those that exploit these minor children.”

According to United States Attorney Yates, the indictment and information presented in court: In or about July 2009, and continuing through on or about October 2, 2009, ROBINSON allegedly caused the victim, a 16-year-old girl, to engage in prostitution at various hotels and at a truck stop, in the Atlanta area. ROBINSON brought the victim, who he knew to be a minor, from her home in South Carolina to the Atlanta area. He then placed photographs of the victim in escort and erotic services sections of various Internet websites, and used those ads to recruit men to engage in commercial sex acts with the victim. When the girl refused to engage in commercial sex acts, ROBINSON allegedly beat the victim on several occasions. During a search of ROBINSON’s apartment on October 2, 2009, investigators found a 9 mm pistol that belonged to ROBINSON, who had previously been convicted of the felony offense of armed robbery in Cobb County, Georgia.

The indictment charges ROBINSON with conspiracy; sex trafficking of a minor; transporting a minor in interstate commerce for the purpose of prostitution; and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The charges carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, up to a combined, maximum sentence of life imprisonment, and a fine of up to $1,000,000.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Metro Atlanta Child Exploitation Task Force.

Members of the public are reminded that the indictment contains only allegations. A defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government's burden to prove a defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

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Bibb County Sheriff’s Deputy Found Guilty of Seeking Sex with Minor

After a three-day trial, a jury found GREGORY TODD BOWDEN, 43, of Byron, Georgia, guilty of attempting to entice a minor to engage in sex.

“Cases in which defendants seek to entice children to engage in sex are always disturbing; it is all the more shocking when the perpetrator is a member of our law enforcement personnel here in Georgia,” said Sally Quillian Yates, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. “Defendant Bowden’s sexual pursuit of a 7-year old girl has resulted in a noteworthy conviction that will keep him away from children for many years.”

According to Acting United States Attorney Yates and the evidence presented during the trial: BOWDEN, an eight-year veteran of the Bibb County Sheriff’s Department, frequented online chat rooms in which he engaged in fantasy role-playing about incest and other child sex acts. In October 2008, he befriended a woman online whom he believed to have a 7-year-old daughter. This woman—actually an undercover FBI task force agent—was willing to make her daughter available to BOWDEN for sex. In February 2009, BOWDEN and the mother, through additional chats, e-mails, and phone calls, agreed to meet for the purpose of having three-way sex: BOWDEN, the mother, and the 7-year-old daughter. On February 11, 2009, BOWDEN drove 110 miles from his home in Byron to Sandy Springs, where he expected to meet the mother and her daughter. He was arrested at the scene. Agent later recovered a computer from his home on which they found child pornography and other evidence of interest in incest and sex with minors.

BOWDEN faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years in prison; he could receive a maximum sentence of life in prison. In determining the defendant’s sentence, the Court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders. BOWDEN will be sentenced on March 16, 2010, at 2:30 p.m., before United States District Judge William S. Duffey, Jr.

This case is being investigated by agents and officers of the Atlanta Safe Child Task Force, which is led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Atlanta Division.

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Roswell Man Arrested for Attempting to Solicit a Minor Child for Sex

Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Gregory Jones, FBI Atlanta, announces on behalf of the Northwest Georgia Crimes Against Children Task Force, the following arrest:

Christopher Rubush, age 35, a resident of Roswell, Georgia, was arrested at Whitfield County, Georgia on Saturday, October 10, 2009 on State charges related to attempting to solicit a minor child for sex. Rubush traveled to Whitfield County, Georgia after having engaged undercover officers/agents of the FBI’s Northwest Georgia Crimes Against Children Task Force in a series of chats on the internet.

Rubush, a retail credit department employee, is currently being detained at the Whitfield County Detention Center.

The Northwest Georgia Crimes Against Children Task Force consists of federal agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and officers from the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office, Dalton Police Department, Dade County Sheriff’s Office, Rossville Police Department, and the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office.

The public is reminded that all persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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