LOS ANGELES – A South Bay man pleaded guilty today to federal criminal charges for producing thousands of sexually explicit images and videos of nearly three dozen children and developing a relationship with at least one boy in the Philippines who performed sex acts online in exchange for money.
Billy Edward Frederick, 51, of Redondo Beach, pleaded guilty to a two-count information charging him with production of child pornography for transportation into the United States and enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity.
According to his plea agreement, Frederick stored in his Google accounts various images and videos depicting child pornography, at least some of which he obtained from video calls on Google Hangout. One video from July 2020 in which a boy, who appears to be between 11 and 14 years old, engages in sexual activity while Frederick records the video call. In messages sent relating to the video call, the victim calls Frederick “master.”
Chats between Frederick and the victim prior to the video call in which the boy asks to borrow money to purchase underwear. Immediately after the call, Frederick chatted online with the boy, who asked for money to be sent to his brother.
Frederick admitted to producing more than 5,000 images and videos of child pornography involving at least 35 different children by requesting these children engage in specified sexually explicit activity in exchange for money. Some of the videos and images depicted minor victims under the age of 12 being used for sexual acts.
United States District Judge Dale S. Fischer has scheduled a March 14, 2022 sentencing hearing, at which time Frederick will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Homeland Security Investigations investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Kathy Yu of the Violent and Organized Crime Section is prosecuting this case.
