Orlando, FL – A South Carolina doctor faces life in prison for trying to have sex with a minor while on vacation in the Daytona Beach area nearly 3 years ago.
John Francis Williams – a 69-year-old anesthesiologist who lives in Blythewood – was convicted by a federal jury on Wednesday of using the Internet to attempt to persuade a minor to engage in sexual activity.
Williams – who was indicted in February 2013 – will be sentenced on November 20th and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
The United States Department of Justice says it all started in October 2012 when Williams responded to a Craigslist post offering a 14-year-old girl for sex while vacationing at his home in Port Orange.
That advertisement – placed by an undercover officer posing as the girl’s mother – led to a series of emails and phone calls between the “mother” and Williams before a physical meeting was arranged.
DOJ spokesman William Daniels says Williams went to a home where he was supposed to “teach” the girl about sex and was carrying an assortment of sex items when he was arrested, including an overnight bag containing condoms, lubricants and vibrators.
Members of the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office assisted DOJ in its prosecution of Williams, as did Homeland Security, the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Copyright 2015 Southern Stone Communications.