by Jim Kouri, CPP
A Crespatown, Maryland man was sentenced on Friday to 50 years in prison for two counts of sexually exploiting a minor to produce child pornography.
William Edward Wray, II, was sentenced before US District Judge Richard D. Bennett to 50 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, announced Rod J. Rosenstein United States Attorney for the District of Maryland and James A. Dinkins, Special Agent in Charge of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Baltimore Office of Investigations.
According to the court documents and the guilty plea, on Jan. 27, 2007, Wray sexually exploited a minor female to produce a photograph of her engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Between November 2002 and November 2004, Wray sexually exploited another minor female in order to produce videos of her engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
“Criminals who sexually exploit children are the worst of the worst. Not only do they rob children of their innocence, but they often scar them for life,” said ICE Special Agent in Charge Dinkins. “In this case, Wray will pay for his crimes for the next 50 years.”
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said, “This lengthy sentence resulted from federal and state law enforcement working together in Maryland to protect children from sexual abuse. William Wray repeatedly abused two children for years, and he took videos and photographs of the abuse. Mr. Wray also collected photographs of children being abused by other pedophiles. If Mr. Wray completes his sentence and is released from prison, he will be supervised by a law enforcement officer for the rest of his life.”
According to court documents, law enforcement officers searched Wray’s residence on March 9, 2007, and seized numerous hard drives, several hundred pieces of removable media, a digital video camera, several Polaroid images of child pornography and two videotapes of Wray engaging in sexually explicit behavior with minor children, including the two victims.
When officers entered Wray’s residence, his computer was operating on a file sharing program, distributing his collection of child pornography to other individuals through the Internet. Wray distributed, received or possessed over 600 images of child pornography, including sadistic or masochistic violence involving prepubescent minors.
This case is part of Operation Predator, ICE’s comprehensive initiative to safeguard children from pedophiles, international sex tourists, Internet child pornographers, and human traffickers. Since Operation Predator was launched in July 2003, ICE agents have arrested more than 10,100 individuals nationwide.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Combined County Criminal Investigation Unit located in Allegany County, Md., for their investigative work.
Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he’s a staff writer for the New Media Alliance (thenma.org). Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty.
He’s former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed “Crack City” by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He’s also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He’s a news writer for TheConservativeVoice.Com and PHXnews.com. He’s also a columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he’s syndicated by AXcessNews.Com. He’s appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc. His book Assume The Position is available at Amazon.Com. Kouri’s own website is located at http://jimkouri.us
GreatMRNI said,
This justice system gives female murders a pass, and incarcerates men who take pictures of naked children for 50 years. What’s wrong with this picture?
An abused, exploited child will live on, and overcome their abuse, they were not killed or even physically abused, their life will continue, and they may even excel in the future. They will be happy and enjoy the benefits of life. A dead man will not! Yet, Mary Winkler walks free to this day.
To exert extreme punishment (over punish) is a crime in itself. Justice dictates that the punishment must fit the crime, and when it is out of balance, there is no justice. How can any man give a damn about any punishment handed down by a justice system that is “just-ice” cold anti-male hatred? Fight of justice, fight for fair sentencing.
December 21, 2007 at 9:12 am
khankrumthebulgar said,
Yes 50 years for the sexual exploitation of a Child seems about right for our messed up judicial system. What about Crystal Gail Magnum and word on when she might be charged???
December 21, 2007 at 5:06 pm
mikeh2002 said,
But I would like to have seen similar sentencing for the female teachers that abused their students. I think finding the cases where women were actually convicted of child sexual abuse and still got the usual “no women in the jails” sentence would serve as a closer comparison to the bias in our systems.
Compare the jilted husbands who get life in prison (or more) cases to the Rhodes and Winkler cases. That would be a more accurate comparison and better indicator to the uniformed public as to how bad things really are.
December 22, 2007 at 1:56 am
Robert Stevens said,
We go back to the constitution. If you commit a crime and someone harmed by it, you get what the law says is the appropriate punishment.
We don’t excuse women, simply because they are women. Infact, the behavior or women is falling to the lowest common denominator. This is because they have been led to beleive that they will not get punished or only be punished very lightly. There is no incentive for them to behave themselves, no motivation to respect the rights of others, especially fathers and men. So they act as bad as they can act.
We go back to ” real law”. We go back to harsh punishments. We allow no excuses, even for women. Now we will have to do away with all the ” make believe” crimes( ie victimless crimes) and take all those convicted of these ” make believe ” crimes and turn them loose to make room to lock up and keep locked up the real criminals.
We need to have a real death penalty and nearly all murders would qualify for that very harsh and very permanant punishment. We need to get rid of the lethal injection and go back to hanging and the electric chair. We need to do away with endles appeals process, but temper it with some very strict rules of evidence. No witness , no conviction. No body, no conviction and no physical evidence, no conviction.
This simple, but fair process, would stop the “trials by media” and the double standard of justice for men versus women.
We would have to go back and redo some of the wrong sentences given in the past. We would have to release a lot men and lock up and execute a lot of women. It would be tough, but it would be fair. It would also truly protect the innocent. Whether its’ a victim of crime or someone who is innocent that the system wants to railroad.
December 22, 2007 at 9:50 am