An Alabama man was sentenced yesterday to life in prison for his involvement with a website dedicated to the advertisement and distribution of images and videos depicting child sexual abuse.

According to court documents, William Michael Spearman, 58, of Madison, was the lead administrator of the website, which had been operating for many years. The website included a section devoted to the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers, a section devoted to images and videos depicting children being subjected to pain and torture, and a section devoted to avoiding detection by law enforcement, among others. As the lead administrator, Spearman managed numerous other “staff” members, directed them on how to help run the site, recommended other users for promotion, kept records of child sexual abuse material advertised and distributed over the site, presided over staff meetings, praised and scolded users, and counseled users and other managers about the functions and expectations of the website. Spearman also advertised and distributed over the website images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children.

On June 12, 2023, Spearman pleaded guilty to engaging in a child exploitation enterprise. The following defendants have also been convicted and sentenced in the Southern District of Florida for their involvement with the same website:

Defendant	Residence	Case Status
Selwyn David Rosenstein	Boynton Beach, Florida	Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to advertise child pornography, five counts of advertisement of child pornography, and possession of child pornography. Sentenced on Dec. 12, 2022, to 28 years in prison and ordered to pay $80,500 in restitution to victims of his offense.
Gregory Malcolm Good	Silver Springs, Nevada	Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to advertise child pornography and conspiracy to distribute child pornography. Sentenced on Aug. 22, 2023, to 25 years and 10 months in prison and ordered to pay $93,500 in restitution to victims of his offense.
Robert Preston Boyles	Clarksville, Tennessee	Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to advertise child pornography and conspiracy to distribute child pornography. Sentenced on Aug. 15, 2023, to 23 years and four months in prison and ordered to pay $7,500 in restitution to victims of his offense.
Matthew Branden Garrell	Raleigh, North Carolina	Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to advertise child pornography and conspiracy to distribute child pornography. Sentenced on Aug. 1, 2023, to 20 years and 10 months in prison and ordered to pay $158,500 in restitution to victims of his offense.
Joseph Addison Martin	Tahuya, Washington	Pleaded guilty to engaging in a child exploitation enterprise. Sentencing is scheduled for April 2 in Ft. Pierce, Florida.
Joseph Robert Stewart	Milton, Washington	Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to advertise child pornography and conspiracy to distribute child pornography. Sentencing is scheduled for April 18 in Ft. Pierce, Florida.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Assistant Director Michael D. Nordwall of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit and Miami Field Office, West Palm Beach Resident Agency investigated the cases.

Trial Attorneys Kyle P. Reynolds and William G. Clayman of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Schiller for the Southern District of Florida prosecuted this case.

Substantial assistance for these cases was provided by FBI Field Offices and Resident Agencies in Huntsville, Alabama; Reno, Nevada; Clarksville, Tennessee; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Madison, Wisconsin; CEOS’s High Technology Investigative Unit; and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Northern District of Alabama, District of Nevada, Middle District of Tennessee, Eastern District of North Carolina, and Western District of Wisconsin.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.