Glastonbury Man Admits Using the Internet to Persuade Children to Engage in Sexual Activity

David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that William Paul Patrick, 67, of Glastonbury, waived his right to indictment and pleaded guilty today before United States Magistrate Judge Holly B. Fitzsimmons in Bridgeport to one count of using an interstate facility to persuade a minor to engage in sexual activity.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in late 2008, the FBI and the Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force began investigating Patrick’s suspected possession and distribution of child pornography. On May 8, 2009, law enforcement agents conducted a court-authorized search of Patrick’s Glastonbury residence and seized several computers, detachable hard drives, and computer-related components. Subsequent analysis of the seized computers and hard drives revealed numerous images and videos depicting child pornography.

Forensic review of the seized items also revealed videos, e-mails, and text files that indicated that Patrick had communicated with individuals in the Philippines for the purposes of arranging Internet sex shows involving minors. In one e-mail, Patrick offered money for a sex show involving multiple individuals and a 7-year-old girl. Patrick provided explicit instructions to the adult and the minors about the nature and duration of the sex acts he wanted to view and offered them cash rewards if they could perform certain acts on the child.

Patrick also engaged in another Internet chat session with an adult and a young child, who indicated that she was 9 years old. During the chat session, Patrick asked that the girl engage in sexual acts and be photographed while nude. Patrick provided $100 to an individual in the Philippines to facilitate his request, and he subsequently received pornographic photographs of the child.

In addition, Patrick recorded a number of sexual encounters between other minors that occurred over a live streaming web cam.

Patrick was arrested on January 22, 2010. He has been released on bond under electronic monitoring by the United States Probation Office since shortly after his arrest.

Patrick is scheduled to be sentenced by Senior United States District Judge Warren W. Eginton on September 19, 2012, at which time Patrick faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life.

This matter has investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force, which includes federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the Hamden Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Deborah Slater and Ray Miller.

The Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force investigates crimes occurring over the Internet, including computer intrusion, Internet fraud, copyright violations, Internet threats and harassment, and online crimes against children. The task force also provides computer forensic review services for participating agencies. The task force is housed in the main FBI Office in New Haven. For more information about the task force, please contact the FBI at 203-777-6311.

U.S. Attorney Fein noted that this prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.