ATLANTA — A Georgia man was sentenced to more than 21 years in federal prison for sexually exploiting a child by sending explicit instructions for abuse over social media.
William Barnett, II, 33, of Athens, received a 262-month prison sentence followed by 10 years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to sexually exploit a child.
Barnett must register as a sex offender upon release, and there is no parole in the federal system.
The investigation began in February 2024 when Homeland Security Investigations Atlanta’s Child Exploitation and Cyber Investigations Group identified child sexual abuse material being shared on the social media platform Mega.
Athens-Clarke County Police Department identified Chris Adam Valentine as a suspect, leading to the discovery of a chat thread between Valentine and Barnett.
In the chat, Barnett, using a pseudonym, received numerous images of child sexual abuse material from Valentine and provided instructions for further abuse.
A search warrant executed at Barnett’s residence led to the seizure of eight cellphones, two of which contained child sexual abuse material.
The case was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
“Our office is unwavering in the pursuit of justice on behalf of children who are sexually abused and exploited,” said U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes.
“Thanks to the diligent efforts of Homeland Security Investigations and its law enforcement partners, this predator will now spend time behind bars for his appalling actions,” said Steven N. Schrank, the Special Agent in Charge of HSI Atlanta.
“Cases like these exemplify the value of partnerships between local, state and federal agencies,” said Athens-Clarke County Police Chief Jerry Saulters.
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