Cape Coral Man Sentenced To 14 Years In Prison For Attempting To Entice A Minor To Engage In Sexual Activity

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Virginia Covington has sentenced William Douglas Collinsworth (54, Cape Coral) to 14 years in federal prison for attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. The court also ordered Collinsworth to serve a lifetime of supervised release, register as a sex offender, and forfeit his cellphone which was used in the commission of the offense. Collinsworth had pleaded guilty on March 8, 2023.

According to court documents, Collinsworth spoke with an undercover agent believing he was going to meet a purported 10-year-old to engage in sexual activity. Collinsworth engaged the undercover agent in conversation for approximately two months, discussing various sex acts, before traveling to meet the purported minor, where he was arrested by agents. Collinsworth came prepared to engage in sex acts with the purported 10-year-old, bringing a unicorn backpack, penis pump, lubrication, and condoms.

This case was investigated by the FBI, the Tampa Police Department, and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilyssa Spergel.

It is another 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.justice.gov/psc.