Pima man sentenced to 8 years in prison for possessing and distributing child pornography

A United States District Judge at the Evo A. Deconcini Courthouse building in Tucson sentenced a Pima man to 8 years in prison for child pornography. His wife is set to be sentenced next month.

Staff Reports

TUCSON – A Pima man was recently sentenced to more than 8 years in prison for possessing and distributing child pornography and sentencing for his wife will soon follow suit. 

Eric Lavon Williams, 36, of Pima was sentenced on Feb. 21 by United States District Judge Rosemary Márquez to 97 months in prison on one count of Knowing Access of Child Pornography. He previously took a plea agreement and pleaded guilty to the charge on July 12, 2023. Upon his release from prison, Eric Williams will be required to be on supervised release for life and register as a sex offender.  

His wife, Cori Williams, will soon be sentenced as well. She pleaded guilty on July 20, 2023, to Possession of Child Pornography, and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 17. 

According to a press release from the United States Attorney’s Office District of Arizona, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Douglas began investigating Eric Williams for possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in April 2022. A search warrant conducted at the Williams’ home in Pima on June 29, 2022, confirmed that Eric Williams possessed and had distributed CSAM files to others using multiple online platforms. Cori Williams was also charged with the distribution and possession of CSAM after the investigation showed that she had obtained such material for her husband and sent it to him. 

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 Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Homeland Security Investigations – Douglas investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carin C. Duryee, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.