Chief U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced William Ervin Daniels, a 45-year-old resident of Lake City, to 20 years in federal prison for distributing child sexual abuse material. Daniels had pleaded guilty on September 24, 2024.
Court documents reveal that on November 16, 2023, Daniels distributed two videos containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in a group called “Da Litl Kidz Gc” on a social media application. He had identified his name and phone number in his account profile and was listed as an administrator for the group where he shared the videos. Authorities found thousands of videos and images of CSAM stored on his phone. During the sentencing hearing, evidence was presented showing that Daniels had abused a minor in his care on at least two occasions.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly S. Milliron.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. The program involves collaboration between federal, state, and local resources to locate and prosecute individuals who exploit children and to rescue victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.