Hale County Man Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison for Attempted Sex Trafficking of Children (DOJ)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - A Hale County man has been sentenced on charges related to attempted sex trafficking and drugs, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona.

United States District Judge Anna M. Manasco sentenced Kenneth Dylan Williams, 39, of Gallion, Alabama, to 135 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release. In September 2025, Williams pleaded guilty to attempted sex trafficking of children and possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

According to court documents, on August 9, 2024, a West Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force (WAHTTF) undercover (UC) officer posted an advertisement on a commercial sex website posing as a 19-year-old female in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The following day, Williams sent a text message to the UC responding to the advertisement. During the exchange, the UC stated that she was only 15 years old and asked Williams if he wanted to continue to arrange a meeting. Williams requested a call with the UC to reassure himself that the UC was "real." After the call, Williams confirmed the meeting location with the UC. Williams then traveled over an hour from his home to meet the UC at the set location in Brookwood, Alabama, and was arrested. During the arrest, officers recovered a Samsung Galaxy cell phone, wallet, and cash from Williams. A Tuscaloosa police officer searched Williams's vehicle and recovered a clear plastic bag containing 25 grams of methamphetamine, a loaded Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol, a loaded Sig Sauer 10mm pistol, a black ski mask, and leather gloves.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The ATF investigated the case along with the West Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force and the Tuscaloosa Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Daniel S. McBrayer prosecuted the case.