Over a 4-year span, the defendant allegedly engaged with a number of younger women, convincing them to ship nudes, self-harm, and take part in intercourse acts on digicam — even going as far as to pose as his personal fictional persona’s cousin to coerce new sexual content material from one lady.
Content material Warning: This story incorporates disturbing particulars of kid sexual exploitation and self-harm.
After pleading responsible in July 2025, a person in his 50s will spend 26 years in federal jail on 10 counts of coercion and enticement, in addition to one rely of sexual exploitation of youngsters.
William Scott Elam, 53, allegedly made contact and communicated with not less than 10 minor women between the ages of 10 and 16 years outdated on numerous on-line apps like Omegle and Discord over a span of 4 years, pretending to be a 14-year-old boy, per a press launch from the Justice Division after his arrest on October 5, 2023.
A mandated reporter first made contact with the FBI in July 2023 with a report of a doable 12-year-old sufferer, per an affidavit filed in help of the legal grievance. This triggered an investigation that in the end led federal officers to Elan.
The alleged sufferer instructed authorities that she had met Elam on Omegle, the social media platform that permits customers to work together with out first having to register on the platform.
The platform randomly connects individuals in one-on-one nameless chats, however it was after she was paired with the defendant that the sufferer stated she exchanged Discord contact information with what she thought was a 14-year-old boy.
After they started speaking on Discord, the sufferer instructed authorities, per the affidavit, the defendant allegedly threatened to cease speaking along with her and self-harm by slicing himself if she didn’t ship him stay sexual materials by way of video calls, per Native 12.
The federal government alleged that Elam deliberately sought out and focused “susceptible” younger women who “have interaction in self-harm, have physique points, or produce other social points.” In line with the Justice Division, per Fox 19, Elam allegedly coerced continued compliance from his victims by threatening to leak beforehand acquired bare photographs he had of them publicly.
Within the case of this sufferer, the federal government said in its press launch that Elam allegedly went as far as to create a second persona and faux to be his 14-year-old persona’s cousin, additionally 14.
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This second false persona allegedly satisfied the 12-year-old sufferer to ship new stay sexual content material by threatening to indicate “his cousin’s mother” the sufferer’s earlier exchanges with the primary persona.
An investigation into Elam’s Discord account uncovered comparable sexual exchanges and encounters with not less than three different minor females between October and December 2022. One sufferer, per the affidavit, was allegedly instructed to self-harm on stay video, in addition to being coerced to carry out stay intercourse acts on digicam.
“Predators like Elam conceal behind a pc display screen whereas preying on susceptible youngsters,” stated U.S. Legal professional Dominick S. Gerace II in his division’s launch. “However the injury they do is actual, and so is the time they’ll spend in federal jail for it.”
Elam is at the moment in custody with the Butler County Sheriff’s Workplace in Ohio pending federal custody.
In the event you imagine you or another person is the sufferer of kid sexual exploitation, the Nationwide Heart for Lacking and Exploited Kids gives 24/7 help for these in want at  1-800-THE-LOST (843-5678), or at report.cybertip.org. You can too contact the FBI at suggestions.fbi.gov.
The Nationwide Sexual Assault Phone Hotline — 800.656.HOPE (4673) — offers free, 24/7 help for these in want.
In the event you or somebody you already know wants assist, name 988 to succeed in the Suicide and Disaster Lifeline. You can too name the community, beforehand often known as the Nationwide Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, textual content HOME to 741741, or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/sources for added sources.
