Baltimore, Maryland – William Tyler Beck, age 30, of Centreville, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to coercion and enticement of a minor.
The plea was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore and Colonel Woodrow W. Jones III, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.
According to his guilty plea, between 2014 and August 2018, Beck used internet-based communication services to coerce at least six minor females into creating and sending him sexually explicit images and videos of themselves. As part of his scheme to exploit the minors, Beck created fictitious accounts and represented himself as a 16-year old minor.
Specifically, on March 5, 2017, Beck used a cell phone and video streaming application to communicate with Jane Doe, a 9-year-old victim. Beck instructed the victim to perform sexual acts on a live stream video and threatened to call the police if she did not cooperate with his demands. As a result of Beck’s threats, Jane Doe exposed her breast, genitalia, and performed other sexual acts on an open live stream video. The live stream video was viewed by over 100 users, some users immediately reported the conduct to law enforcement. After Jane Doe was banned from the live stream site, Beck instructed Jane Doe to change her username to “Lil Sexy Chica” to stream another video where she performed additional sexual acts. Beck also live streamed a video of himself masturbating during his communication with Jane Doe.
According to Beck’s plea agreement, from approximately 2014 to August 2017, Beck used two social media applications to communicate with minor females who identified themselves as ages 9 to 16 years of age. Beck communicated with more than 24 self-identifying minors during that time. All communications related to sex or requests for photos. During most of the conversations, Beck falsely posed as a 16-year-old or 13-year-old minor.
In at least three instances, Beck threatened to expose the victims by posting pictures, stating that he already posted pictures, or threatening to tell the victims’ parents that they were using the applications.
Beck admits that he caused or attempted to cause at least five minor females between the ages of 13 and 16 years of age to produce images, videos, or live stream videos of their exposed genitalia.
As stated in his plea agreement, investigators executed a search warrant at Beck’s Centerville residence on August 22, 2018. During the execution of the search warrant, agents seized two of Beck’s cell phones. As a result of a forensic analysis, investigators found the communication applications Beck used to communicate with female minors and well as hundreds of pornographic images. On August 22, 2018, Beck admitted to using applications to communicate with minors and admitted to having a sexual interest in children.
Beck faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison followed by up to lifetime of supervised release for coercion and enticement of a minor. U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher has not scheduled the sentencing hearing at this time.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab on the left of the page.
Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner commended the HSI, the Maryland State Police, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police, Kent County Sheriff’s Office, the Madisonville Police Department of Kentucky, and the Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow who is prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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