Zachary Williams, a 38-year-old resident of Brooklyn, New York, has been sentenced to 240 months in prison for crimes involving the sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl he met through Snapchat. The sentencing was delivered by U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford.
Court records show that in February 2021, Williams began communicating with the minor on Snapchat. He groomed her and coerced her into sending sexually explicit images of herself. After obtaining these images, Williams threatened to share them online with her family and friends unless she complied with his demands to meet him in person. On two occasions that month, Williams traveled to Connecticut and sexually abused the girl at her home while her family was asleep. He recorded these acts on his iPhone and later used the videos and images as leverage to prevent the victim from disclosing his actions.
Williams has been held since March 13, 2021, following charges filed against him in the District of New Jersey for similar child exploitation offenses. He was convicted after trial there and received a life sentence on March 18, 2025.
On August 8, 2025, Williams pleaded guilty in Connecticut federal court to one count of production of child pornography and one count of coercion and enticement of a minor for illegal sexual conduct.
He also faces child exploitation charges in the Eastern District of New York where he is awaiting trial.
The investigation involved the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Galloway Township Police Department from New Jersey. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nancy V. Gifford, Daniel E. Cummings, and Alexis L. Beyerlein prosecuted the case.
U.S. Attorney David X. Sullivan expressed appreciation for cooperation from colleagues: “U.S. Attorney Sullivan thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey for its cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of this case.”
This case falls under Project Safe Childhood Initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation (https://www.justice.gov/psc).
Reports related to child exploitation can be submitted at www.cybertipline.com.
