Former Professor William Garner Must Also Pay $50,000 Community Restitution to the San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center
SAN FRANCISCO – LawFuel – US Attorney News – United States Attorney Scott Schools announced that Dr. William T. Garner was sentenced today to 63 months imprisonment for possessing over 5,500 images of child pornography. Garner was also ordered to pay $50,000 community restitution to the San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center, a local charitable organization. The sentence is the result of an investigation by the United States Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative.
“Crimes that harm children are a primary target of law enforcement. We will continue to protect the children in our communities by vigorously prosecuting individuals possessing these images. That is our commitment,” said U.S. Attorney Scott Schools.
Garner, age 67 and a resident of San Francisco, pleaded guilty on December 12, 2006, to a single count of possessing child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(4)(B). In pleading guilty, Garner admitted that he knowingly possessed visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. According to court documents, Garner possessed more than 5,500 images containing child pornography, including images of prepubescent minors and images portraying sadistic or masochistic conduct or other depictions of violence. He obtained the images through the use of the internet.
Garner was sentenced in San Francisco federal court by Chief United States District Court Judge Vaughn R. Walker. Judge Walker also sentenced Garner to three years supervised release. He must report to prison by June 18, 2007.
Garner retired in 2006 as a Professor in the School of Education at the University of San Francisco. He was previously the Dean of the School of Education at USF and was the co-founder and director of the Center for Instruction and Technology at USF.
Nathanael Cousins is the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney who prosecuted the case with the assistance of Nai Saelee, legal technician. The prosecution is the result of a six-month investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). ICE agents were assisted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the San Francisco Police Department.
Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative is a joint effort of federal, state and local law enforcement, along with community leaders, designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. NCMEC’s congressionally mandated CyberTipline, a reporting mechanism for child sexual exploitation, has handled more than 419,400 leads. Since its establishment in 1984, NCMEC has assisted law enforcement with more than 125,200 missing child cases, resulting in the recovery of more than 107,600 children. For more information about NCMEC, call its toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST or visit its web site at www.missingkids.com.
