ATHENS, Ga. – William Barnett, II, 33, of Athens, has pleaded guilty to sexually exploiting a minor by sharing explicit instructions for the abuse of a young girl over social media platforms. The heinous crime carries a potential sentence of up to 30 years imprisonment.
Barnett’s guilty plea came before U.S. District Judge Tilman E. “Tripp” Self, III, on Aug. 4. He faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and could be sentenced to life in prison, along with a $250,000 fine and lifetime supervision upon release.
The investigation into Barnett’s crimes was part of a larger probe by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Atlanta’s Child Exploitation and Cyber Investigations Group (CECIG). The ACCPD identified Chris Adam Valentine as the initial suspect during their investigation of child sexual abuse material being shared online.
Barnett was caught in a chat thread with Valentine, sharing graphic content including videos of children being sexually assaulted. In one chilling exchange, Barnett provided specific instructions to Valentine on how to further abuse a child, which Valentine followed by sending additional images of the same child.
Upon executing a search warrant at Barnett’s residence, agents seized multiple cellphones containing explicit material. One device contained 54 images and three videos of prepubescent minors and toddlers being sexually assaulted, much of it shared via social media apps like Kik and Mega.
“The sexual exploitation and abuse of children is intolerable,” said U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes. “Our office will continue to pursue justice for the most vulnerable victims.”
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Key Facts
- State: Georgia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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