Overview
- A federal judge in Cincinnati sentenced William Scott Elam, 53, to 312 months in prison on Thursday.
- Elam pleaded guilty in July to 10 counts of coercion and enticement and one count of sexual exploitation of children.
- Over roughly four years, he posed as a 14-year-old on chat apps to contact girls ages 10 to 16 in at least seven states.
- Prosecutors said he used threats of self-harm, ordered a victim to cut herself on live video, and threatened to leak nude images to coerce compliance.
- Investigators have identified at least 10 victims, and authorities arrested Elam in October 2023 after an FBI-led investigation.