Hartford Man Sentenced To Prison For Child Porn: Feds

HARTFORD, CT — A 34-year-old Hartford man will spend a decade behind bars after his sentencing in federal court on Tuesday on a child pornography conviction.

David X. Sullivan, U.S. attorney for Connecticut, said Jonathan Williams, 34, of Hartford, was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver in Hartford to 10 years of imprisonment and 20 years of supervised release for possessing child sex abuse material.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has been investigating a network of individuals who have been using private groups on an internet chat application to share images and videos of child sexual abuse.

Sullivan said the investigation revealed an account associated with Williams was an active member of one of these groups.

He said Williams was convicted in 2015 in North Carolina of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.

On June 1, 2023, investigators conducted a court-authorized search of Williams’ residence.

Sullivan said Williams was arrested at that time after a preliminary review of his laptop revealed videos of child sex abuse.

"Subsequent analysis of his laptop and iPhone revealed more than 1,500 videos and 7,000 images depicting child pornography, including videos and images of sadistic and masochistic conduct and other depictions of violence and sexual abuse of infants and toddlers," reads a release issued by Sullivan.

Williams has been detained since his arrest. On Aug. 15, 2024, he pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography.

"The penalties in this matter were enhanced based on Williams’ prior conviction in North Carolina," wrote Sullivan.

This matter was investigated by HSI with the assistance of the Connecticut Center for Digital Investigations, the Connecticut State Police, and the Hartford and Westport Police Departments.

This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc. To report cases of child exploitation, visit https://report.cybertip.org.