William Michael Spearman, Operating a Child Exploitation Enterprise, Alabama 2024

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Table of Contents

Defendant Name, Crime, Location, Year

William Michael Spearman, 57, of Madison, Alabama, pleaded guilty to running a website that advertised and distributed child sexual abuse material.

According to court documents, Spearman was the lead administrator of the website, which had been operating for many years. The website included a section devoted to the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers, a section devoted to images and videos depicting children being subjected to pain and torture, and a section devoted to avoiding detection by law enforcement.

Spearman managed numerous other “staff” members, directed them how to help run the site, recommended other users for promotion, kept records of child pornography files advertised and distributed over the site, presided over staff meetings, praised and scolded users, and counseled users and other managers about the function and expectations of the website.

Spearman also advertised and distributed images over the website.

He pleaded guilty to engaging in a child exploitation enterprise and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Spearman is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 31.

Other defendants have also been convicted in the Southern District of Florida for their involvement with the same website, including:

Selwyn David Rosenstein of Boynton Beach, Florida, convicted of conspiracy to advertise child pornography, five counts of advertisement of child pornography, and possession of child pornography. He was sentenced to 28 years in prison and ordered to pay $85,000 in restitution to victims.
Gregory Malcolm Good of Silver Springs, Nevada, convicted of conspiracy to advertise child pornography and conspiracy to distribute child pornography. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 22.
Robert Preston Boyles of Clarksville, Tennessee, convicted of conspiracy to advertise child pornography and conspiracy to distribute child pornography. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 15.
Matthew Branden Garrell of Raleigh, North Carolina, convicted of conspiracy to advertise child pornography and conspiracy to distribute child pornography. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 1.

The FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit, West Palm Beach Resident Agency, and Miami Field Office investigated the cases. Substantial assistance for the case was provided by FBI Field Offices and Resident Agencies in: Huntsville, Alabama; Reno, Nevada; Clarksville, Tennessee; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Madison, Wisconsin.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the U.S. government.