Former JSO officer sentenced to life imprisonment, after pleading guilty to the sex trafficking of a toddler

Jacksonville, FL — A former police officer with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office has been sentenced to life imprisonment, after pleading guilty to the commercial sex trafficking of a toddler, which began when the child was just 3-years-old.

As part of the sentence for Michael Williams, 61, the US Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida says he has also been ordered to pay $194, 905,17 in restitution to the victim and forfeit the devices used to commit the trafficking, including a cell phone, a tablet, and an Internet router.

Court documents show Williams solicited a woman in Texas to sexually abuse her daughter, take photos of the abuse, and then sell him the photos. This went on from at least February 25, 2016, through September 28, 2016.

JSO began investigating Williams in late May 2016, after getting a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

From there, JSO obtained a search warrant for Williams' home, where they found more than 450 images and videos of child pornography. Investigators say they also discovered hundred of texts between Williams and the Texas woman, most of which were sexual in nature about the child.

Throughout their communications, court documents say Williams sent at least 19 wire transfers to the woman to pay for photos of the child being sexually abused, which were funded by his retirement income from his career as a JSO officer.

Williams pleaded guilty on June 5, 2017.

The child's mother has been sentenced to 60 years in federal prison, after she pleaded guilty to two counts of production of child pornography.