Juneau Man Sentenced to 40 Years in Prison for Sexually Abusing a Minor and Producing CSAM

A Juneau, Alaska, man was sentenced today to 40 years in prison and lifetime supervised release for sexually abusing a young boy, producing child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) depicting the boy, and posting 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 over 100 images and videos depicting the abuse. He posted some of these visuals to platforms on the dark web where he bragged about his sexual abuse and manipulation of the minor.

"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 (USSS) is unwavering in its commitment to pursue predators who exploit and harm children," said Acting Special Agent in Charge Andrew Forrest of the USSS 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."

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 amassing a collection of CSAM that included 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.

The USSS's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigated the case.

Trial Attorney McKenzie Hightower of the Justice Department's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mac Caille Petursson for the District of Alaska 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.