David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that WILLIAM PAUL PATRICK, 68, of Glastonbury, was sentenced today by Senior United States District Judge Warren W. Eginton in Bridgeport to 180 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for using the Internet to arrange and watch sex shows with children in the Philippines. PATRICK also was ordered to pay a $20,000 fine.
“This defendant arranged for sex shows involving young children and gave explicit instructions as to how he wanted the children to be abused,” stated U.S. Attorney Fein. “I commend the FBI and the members of the Computer Crimes Task Force for their work in protecting children from this horrific conduct both here and abroad.”
“These are disturbing and despicable crimes for which the defendant will spend a considerable amount of time in prison,” stated Special Agent in Charge Kimberly K. Mertz of the New Haven Division of the FBI. “The children of the world have to be protected from these heinous criminals, willful predators of innocent children. I commend the task force investigators for their incredible sense of duty in helping to eradicate this dark side of society.”
According to court documents and statements made in court, in late 2008, the FBI and the Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force began investigating PATRICK’s suspected possession and distribution of child pornography. On May 8, 2009, law enforcement agents conducted a court-authorized search of PATRICK’s Glastonbury residence and seized several computers, detachable hard drives and computer-related components. Subsequent analysis of the seized computers and hard drives revealed numerous images and videos depicting child pornography.
Forensic review of the seized items also revealed videos, e-mails and text files that indicated that PATRICK had communicated with individuals in the Philippines for the purposes of arranging Internet sex shows involving minors. In one e-mail, PATRICK offered money for a sex show involving multiple individuals and a 7-year-old girl. PATRICK provided explicit instructions to the adult and the minors about the nature and duration of the sex acts he wanted to view and offered them cash rewards if they could perform certain acts on the child.
PATRICK also engaged in another Internet chat session with an adult and a young child, who indicated that she was 9 years old. During the chat session, PATRICK asked that the girl engage in sexual acts and be photographed while nude. PATRICK provided $50 to an individual in the Philippines to facilitate his request, and he subsequently received pornographic photographs of the child.
PATRICK was arrested on January 22, 2010. On June 27, 2012, he pleaded guilty to one count of using an interstate facility to persuade a minor to engage in sexual activity.
PATRICK, who has been released on bond under electronic monitoring by the U.S. Probation Office since shortly after his arrest, was order to report to prison on January 29, 2013.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force, which includes federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the Hamden Police Department. The Glastonbury Police Department also assisted the investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ray Miller and Deborah Slater.
