William Steven Wooten, a 46-year-old resident of Lexington, was convicted by a federal jury in Spartanburg on one count of possession of child sexual abuse material. The conviction followed a two-day trial.
The investigation began when the Federal Bureau of Investigation looked into Wooten’s use of a fraudulent military discharge document known as DD-214. According to evidence presented at trial, Wooten claimed to be a combat veteran and recipient of the Purple Heart, despite never having served in the military. He allegedly used this false document both to seek employment and to gain trust from a single mother regarding her children.
A search warrant for Wooten’s phone led FBI agents to discover child sexual abuse material along with the fraudulent DD-214. Forensic examiners found 203 images depicting child sexual abuse on his device. Search terms recovered from the phone indicated that Wooten was seeking images involving young girls and situations where children were abused by adults.
Eight months prior to these findings, Wooten had been convicted in state court for criminal sexual conduct with a minor. In addition, he pleaded guilty to possessing the fraudulent military discharge form about two weeks before his federal trial.
Wooten now faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years for possession of child sexual abuse material, as well as a possible fine up to $250,000 and restitution payments. Sentencing will be determined by U.S. District Judge Donald C. Coggins after review of a pre-sentence report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
The case involved collaboration between the FBI Columbia Field Office and the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office. Prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bill Watkins and Winston Marosek.
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