Key West Man Charged with Child Pornography and Firearms Offenses
| U.S. Attorney’s Office December 10, 2012 |
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; Alysa D. Erichs, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI); Hugo Barrera, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); Michael B. Steinbach, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office; and Bob Peryam, Monroe County Sheriff, announce that defendant William J. Britt, 55, of Key West, Florida, has been charged with possession of material involving the sexual exploitation of minors and with illegal possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252(a)(4)(B) and Title 26, United States Code, section 5861(d). Britt made his initial appearance in federal court at 2:00 p.m. today at the United States Courthouse in Key West before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lurana S. Snow.
According to the criminal complaint filed on December 6, 2012, Britt possessed multiple videos containing child pornography. He also possessed a short-barreled shotgun, which was not registered as required by federal law. If convicted, Britt faces a possible statutory maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison on the charges.
Anyone with information on this matter is asked to contact law enforcement at (305) 849-6001.
Mr. Ferrer commended the joint efforts of the Monroe County Sherriff’s Office, which initiated the investigation and arrested Britt, ATF, the FBI, and ICE-HSI. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Elina Rubin-Smith and Robert T. Watson in Miami.
A complaint is only an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.