William Lee Niver, Child Pornography, Texas 2016

Defendant’s 80-Year Sentence Sends Shockwaves Through Community

A 49-year-old Houston man, William Lee Niver, has been handed a massive 80-year prison sentence for multiple counts involving child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson.

Niver pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child, distribution and possession of child pornography on June 14, 2016. He was sentenced to 360 months for the sexual exploitation of a child, otherwise known as production of child pornography, 240 months for each of two distribution charges, and 120 months for the possession of child pornography. The sentences will all run consecutively for a total of 960 months in federal prison.

During the hearing, the court heard from the victim about how being sexually assaulted, psychologically abused and manipulated into situations to meet Niver’s deviant sexually-perverse needs has impacted her life. She indicated that from the time she was eight years old until the age of 14, the abuse consumed her life.

The government told the court that instead of receiving Barbie dolls and books, Niver gave the victim vibrators and showed her pornography. In determining the sentence, Judge Miller noted the substantial harm done to victim and said this was one of the saddest cases ever to come before him.

Niver first came to the attention of law enforcement after he had sent images of child pornography, including the victim who appeared in court, to an undercover agent. Federal agents executed a search warrant at Niver’s residence and performed a forensic examination on his computer which resulted in the discovery of more than 6,000 images and 1,000 videos of young children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. This case, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly Ann Leo and Carrie A. Wirsing, was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

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