Cape Canaveral man sentenced to five years in federal prison for possession of child sexual abuse material

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative

BREVARD COUNTY • CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA – U.S. District Judge Julie S. Sneed has sentenced William Alfred Harris, 62, of Cape Canaveral, to five years in a federal prison for possession of child sexual abuse material.

The court also ordered Harris to surrender the electronic device used in the commission of the crime and pay a fine of $250,000 and additional fees of $22,000. Harris pleaded guilty on April 30, 2024.

According to court documents, the FBI identified Harris in January 2023 as a recipient or downloader of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on a file-sharing platform.

Agents downloaded several images and videos of CSAM from Harris' Internet Protocol (IP) address. In May 2023, the FBI executed a search warrant at Harris's residence and seized his laptop.

A forensic examination of the computer revealed CSAM, three file wipers and encryption software.

In addition to the 21 CSAM images recovered from the laptop, the forensic investigation also uncovered a pattern in which Harris downloaded, viewed, and then deleted CSAM.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Testerman having criminal jurisdiction.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of sexual exploitation and abuse of children.

Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Criminal Investigation Department, Project Safe Childhood pools federal, state, and local resources to track down, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

Click here for more information about Project Safe Childhood.

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