A federal judge in Rhode Island has sentenced a 65-year-old Pawtucket man to 42 months in federal prison followed by eight years of supervised release after he admitted to possessing hundreds of files containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
William Dickson pleaded guilty on March 27, 2026, after federal investigators uncovered more than 800 images and videos of CSAM during an investigation into peer-to-peer file-sharing networks. On April 10, 2024, federal agents executed search warrants at Dickson’s residence, vehicle, and person, seizing multiple electronic devices that underwent forensic review.
During the sentencing, federal authorities emphasized the severe real-world impacts of online child exploitation. First Assistant United States Attorney Charles C. Calenda stated that possessing and exchanging such material directly “fuels the continued exploitation of vulnerable children.”
Echoing those remarks, Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division, noted that collectors of illicit media drive the underlying demand for the abuse. “Images of children being sexually abused are a snapshot of the horrific ongoing reality for many of these kids,” Docks said, reaffirming the agency’s commitment to protecting minors from further harm.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie M. White prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI as part of Project Safe Childhood. Launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006, the nationwide initiative unites federal, state, and local resources to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse online and rescue victims.
