KANSAS CITY, MO—Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Gower, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to possessing child pornography and to attempting to receive child pornography over the Internet.

William D. Everett, 45, of Gower, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to two counts of attempting to receive child pornography over the Internet and one count of possessing child pornography. Everett was taken into federal custody at the conclusion of today’s court hearing.

Everett’s computer was identified during an undercover FBI operation in New Orleans, La. Everett attempted to access a covert Web site with descriptions of child pornography and associated download links (which were not able to actually be accessed).

Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Everett’s residence and interviewed Everett, who admitted that he used his computer to search for, view and download child pornography. Investigators examined two hard drives; both had child pornography movies and images as well as bestiality and bondage child pornography. Almost all were of prepubescent children, including some toddlers. More than 370 videos and 1,600 images of child pornography were extracted.

Under federal statutes, Everett is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 50 years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $750,000. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine A. Connelly. It was investigated by the Gower, Mo., Police Department and the FBI.

Project Safe Childhood

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”