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A Madison man pleaded guilty on Monday to running a website dedicated to advertising and distributing pictures and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, according to the Department of Justice.
Fifty-seven-year-old William Michael Spearman was the lead administrator of the website, which reportedly had been up and running for many years.
The website contained several sections, including ones devoted to the sexual abuse of toddlers and infants, content depicting the torture of children, and ways to avoid detection by law enforcement.
As the website’s lead administrator, Spearman was responsible for numerous “staff members,” presiding over team staff meetings and directing members on how to help properly run the website.
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Spearman also engaged in the advertisement and distribution of child sex abuse images over the website.
Four other defendants were convicted for their involvement with the website and are facing the following charges:
Selwyn David Rosenstein – Boynton Beach, Florida
- Conspiracy to advertise child pornography
- Five counts of advertisement of child pornography
- Possession of child pornography
Gregory Malcolm Good – Silver Springs, Nevada
- Conspiracy to advertise child pornography
- Conspiracy to distribute child pornography
Robert Preston Boyles – Clarksville, Tennessee
- Conspiracy to advertise child pornography
- Conspiracy to distribute child pornography
Matthew Branden Garrell – Raleigh, North Carolina
- Conspiracy to advertise child pornography
- Conspiracy to distribute child pornography
Spearman is charged with engaging in a child exploitation enterprise; he is set to be sentenced on August 31 and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.
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