Registered Evansville sex offender sentenced to prison for using Instagram to prey on minors

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) – The United States Attorney’s Office Southern District of Indiana announced that an Evansville man has been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to possession of sexually explicit material involving minors. According to a press release, 33-year-old William Virgil Russell II has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison after Russell’s Instagram account was reported for containing sexual abuse material in April of 2023. Officials say the video depicted an adult male attempting to rape a minor. In September of 2023, investigators searched Russell’s home in Evansville and recovered his cellphone. Officials say further investigation uncovered 21 sexually explicit images involving minors, as well as numerous chat session transcripts in which Russell describes himself as a pedophile. The press release states he told the people he interacted with that he prefers toddlers. Russell asked women to provide him with nude and sexually explicit images of their children and often offered to pay for the images. At the time of the offenses occurred, Russell was a registered sex offender based on a felony conviction for Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material in Warrick County. Following his release, Russell must continue to remain registered as a sex offender
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