Brad D. Schimel, First Assistant United States Attorney of the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced on April 13 that a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment against Axis C. Williams, age 21, of Aransas Pass, Texas. Williams is charged with production of child pornography in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2251(a).
According to court records, Williams allegedly met a juvenile online and caused her and two other juveniles to engage in sexually explicit conduct. He is accused of instructing them to record the acts and send him the recordings.
If convicted on either count in the indictment, Williams faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and up to a maximum of 30 years’ imprisonment. In addition to prison time, he could be fined $250,000 and face five years to life terms of supervised release for each count.
The investigation was conducted by the St. Francis Police Department, Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations – Corpus Christi. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Abbey M. Marzick.
Authorities remind the public that an indictment is only a charge and not evidence of guilt. “The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.”
