Sterlin D. Williams, Child Pornography Production, VA 2024

Naval disgrace: Sterlin D. Williams, a 38-year-old Navy chief stationed in Virginia Beach, pleaded guilty today to producing child pornography—a crime rooted in the most depraved betrayal of trust. The admission, entered in federal court in Norfolk, Va., exposes a military insider who used his position and access to conceal years of criminal conduct targeting a child under the age of 12.

According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Williams admitted to creating a video of himself engaged in sexual activity with the minor during the summer of 2015. The recording, a permanent digital scar of predation, was not an isolated act but a deliberate documentation of abuse—forever marking the victim and staining Williams’ service record with unforgivable crimes.

Williams was indicted by a federal grand jury on Nov. 17, 2016, and now faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison when sentenced on April 27. Though Congress mandates the statutory maximum, the final sentence will be determined by U.S. District Judge Henry Coke Morgan, guided by the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other legal factors weighing the severity of harm and abuse of authority.

The case was announced by Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Maureen Evans, Special Agent in Charge of the NCIS Norfolk Field Office. The collaboration between military investigators and federal prosecutors underscores the gravity of crimes committed by those sworn to protect and defend—now exposed as predators behind the uniform.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alyssa K. Nichol is leading the prosecution, methodically building the case in the open light of justice. With the plea accepted, the focus shifts to sentencing—a final reckoning where Williams will confront the full weight of federal law and the irreversible damage he inflicted on an innocent child.

Public court documents and related information are available through the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, the District Court’s website, or via PACER under Case No. 2:16-cr-161. The digital trail remains—a permanent record of guilt, a warning to others in positions of power, and a testament to the long arm of federal law.