Juneau man sentenced to 40 years for sexually abusing a minor to produce child pornography

JUNEAU, Alaska - A Juneau man was sentenced today to 40 years in prison for sexually abusing a young boy to produce child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) and post the visuals on the dark web.

According to court documents, from March to August 2024, William Steadman, 35, manipulated and groomed a vulnerable 10-year-old boy he had access to in his community. He sexually abused the minor and produced 43 images and 63 videos depicting the abuse. He posted some of these visuals to platforms on the dark web. Steadman bragged about his sexual abuse and manipulation of the minor on the platforms.

Prior to the charged offense, Steadman was previously convicted of possessing child pornography in Alaska state court in 2018, requiring him to register as a sex offender. Following his release from state custody, Steadman began a dark web collection of thousands of visuals depicting child sexual abuse and eventually distributing CSAM he produced of the minor victim. Steadman possessed over 3,300 images and over 1,100 videos of CSAM, representing thousands of additional minor victims.

On Sept. 6, 2024, Steadman was arrested on a criminal complaint in Juneau. Roughly two weeks later, Steadman was indicted by a federal grand jury for his crimes. On March 31, 2025, Steadman pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography. At sentencing, the Court also ordered Steadman to spend the rest of his life on supervised release once he completes his prison sentence. The Court ordered restitution to be determined on a later date. In handing down the sentence, the Court emphasized the defendant's long track record of recidivism and the need to protect the public from Steadman for a significant amount of time.

"Today's sentence holds William Steadman accountable for his depraved, sustained, and repeated sexual abuse and production of CSAM with a young child who had been entrusted to his care," said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. "Protection of America's children and the prosecution of those who abuse and take advantage of them will always be at the forefront of the Criminal Division's mission."

"Mr. Steadman's conduct in this case was evil, and his desire to repeat and escalate his heinous offenses garnered a weighty prison sentence to protect the community from him for as long as possible," said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. "My office has a phenomenal team of prosecutors dedicated to seeking justice against those who prey on the most vulnerable. Anyone who targets Alaska's children will be found and held accountable for their perverse crimes."

"The U.S. Secret Service is unwavering in its commitment to pursue predators who exploit and harm children," said Acting Special Agent in Charge Andrew Forrest of the U.S. Secret Service Criminal Investigative Division. "We will continue to work tirelessly alongside our law enforcement partners to ensure that anyone that commits these vile crimes is held fully accountable and their victims receive the justice they deserve."

The Secret Service's Internet Crimes Against Children Team investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mac Caille Petursson and Jack Schmidt, and Trial Attorney McKenzie Hightower of the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) prosecuted the case.

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 Justice.gov/PSC.

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