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New Castle Man Sentenced to 30 Years of Incarceration for Production and Possession of Child Pornography

U.S. Attorney’s Office November 18, 2009
  • District of Delaware (302) 573-6277

William A. Phillips, age 42, of New Castle, Delaware, was sentenced today to 30 years of incarceration for production and possession of child pornography, in violation of federal law. Phillips also was sentenced to 10 years of supervised release, and he will be required to register as a sex offender in any jurisdiction in which he lives, works, or attends school. David C. Weiss, United States Attorney for the District of Delaware, announced the sentence following a hearing in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware.

Phillips, who was sentenced by United States District Judge Joseph J. Farnan, Jr., faced a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.

According to statements made at hearings and documents filed in court, Phillips came to the attention of New Castle County Police detectives conducting an online investigation into individuals who were trading child pornography through a peer-to-peer file sharing application. In September 2007, New Castle County Police searched Phillips’ New Castle home and seized a computer and numerous CDs. Phillips’ computer contained more than 100,000 still images and 500 videos of child pornography. These images include depictions of prepubescent child rape and sadistic and masochistic conduct. Phillips had many of these images and videos available on his computer and had enabled others on the peer-to-peer network to download these materials.

As the law enforcement officers continued to review the seized material, they realized that many of the digital child pornography photographs were taken in the bedroom of Phillips’ New Castle home. Following further investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Castle County Police Department identified the child depicted in the pictures as a 4-year-old female who was under Phillips’ supervision at the time that the photographs were taken. Some of the recovered pictures show Phillips engaged in sexual acts with the child. The law enforcement officers also identified a second child, approximately 2 years old, who Phillips recorded engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

In pronouncing the sentence, United States District Judge Joseph J. Farnan, Jr. stated that he found Phillips’ “criminal conduct to be horrendous” and that Phillips had “raped [his child victim] for the camera.”

Following the hearing, United States Attorney David C. Weiss stated, “This office will continue its relentless pursuit of those who trade in child pornography and prey on innocent children. While the volume and content of the images seized in this case was shocking in itself, the defendant’s willingness to exploit very young children entrusted to his supervision and care is unconscionable. The sentence imposed insures that this defendant will never again victimize a child and sends a clear message to others who would engage in similar conduct.”

Major Michael McGowan, Acting Chief of the New Castle County Police Department, stated, “"Even though we continue to arrest offenders for the trading of child pornography, this is a crime that continues beyond the arrest and imprisonment of the offender. Images live forever on the internet and as a result these children become perpetual victims with the continued trading and sharing of files. This is one of the primary reasons we have stepped up our efforts to proactively identify, investigate and prosecute offenders like Mr. Phillips. Let this be a warning to other cyber predators - law enforcement's capabilities to locate purveyors of child pornography continues to evolve and improve.”

Special Agent in Charge Richard McFeely, head of the FBI’s Delaware Division, stated, “Crimes against our children are and will remain one of the FBI’s highest priorities. The arrest and prosecution of predators involved in the production and dissemination of child pornography is of special significance to the law enforcement community and the citizens we serve. This case was the result of exceptional cooperation between the New Castle County Police Department, the FBI’s Wilmington office and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware.”

For further information, please contact Assistant United States Attorneys Edmond Falgowski or Edward J. McAndrew, at 302-573-6277.

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