A Juneau man pleaded guilty Monday to a federal charge of producing child pornography following his arrest for activities that occurred over a months-long period last year. He has a previous child pornography conviction from 2018 and faces a minimum sentence of 25 years in prison for the conviction in the current case.
[Related: Juneau man arrested on federal charge of producing child pornography]
William Steadman, 35, was arrested for illegal activities that occurred “or about March 28, 2024, through August 26, 2024,” according to an affidavit by U.S. Secret Service Special Agent Tanner Hubbard filed Sept. 6, 2024, in U.S. District Court.
“Steadman met a minor victim in his community, enticed him to engage in sexually explicit conduct, and then posted the images on the dark web via the Internet,” Hubbard wrote in a summary of the allegations. The affidavit details various videos and images allegedly depicting sexual contact.
Steadman was arrested by the Juneau Police Department on Aug. 17 in the vicinity of a Juneau extended stay hotel, where he was living, on a $1,000 warrant for failure to register as a sex offender and was subsequently rearrested on the federal charge Sept. 6, according to a press release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s office Sept. 13.
Court and police records show previous arrests of Steadman for charges including possession of child pornography, failing to register as a sex offender and violating a protective order. He was sentenced to six years imprisonment, with three years suspended and five years of supervised release to follow, following the child pornography conviction in 2018.
After his release “the Defendant soon began exploiting children again once released and while on supervised release, both online and in his community,” a memorandum filed by the U.S. Attorney’s office last fall states. “The Defendant utilized the dark web to register on at least three websites dedicated to the sexual exploitation of minors.”
A press release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s office on Monday states Steadman faces a maximum of 50 years in prison for the most recent case.
“A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors,” the release states.
