A Charlottesville, Virginia man, who believed he was communicating online with the father of a 12-year-old boy and arranged to meet the purported 12-year-old boy to have sex with and in front of the child, was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in federal prison on child pornography charges.
William Combs, 54, pled guilty in January 2024 to a one-count Information charging him with possession of child pornography.
According to court documents, in July 2023, Combs engaged in an online chat with who Combs believed to be the father of a 12-year-old boy.
During these discussions, Combs attempted to arrange a meeting with the 12-year-old for the purpose of having sex with the minor. Shortly before the time of the scheduled meeting, Combs cut off all communication with the alleged father.
Pursuant to a search warrant, law enforcement obtained the physical address associated with the IP address linked to the user identified as Combs.
On August 10, 2023, officers conducted a search of Combs’ residence and recovered several electronic devices.
Following a forensic review, agents identified more than 25,000 files depicting minor children and suspected minor children engaged in sex acts. These files included prepubescent children and children who had not yet obtained the age of 12 years old.
