Pearl River Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child Pornography

Jackson, Miss. – A Pearl River man pled guilty to possessing child pornography in the Pearl River Community of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.

William Henry, 25, pled guilty on October 24, 2023, in U.S. District Court in Jackson.

According to court documents, Henry possessed in excess of 400 images of child pornography, with 20 of the images positively identified as specific children. 

On September 20, 2022, a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment against Henry.

Henry will be sentenced on January 22, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney Todd Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made the announcement.

The case was investigated by the Choctaw Police Department of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin J. Payne and Special Assistant United States Attorney Brian K. Burns.

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.