Man who had sex with 13-year-old in Atlantic County, NJ, thrown in prison for life

A New York man will be spending the rest of his life behind bars for having sex with a young teenager in Atlantic County.

Zachary Williams of NY will never be free again

Federal authorities say following a 13-day-long trial, 37-year-old Zachary Williams was convicted on two counts of interstate travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, production of and possession of child pornography, and coercion and enticement of a minor.

On Tuesday, he was sentenced to life in prison on the coercion and enticement charge, plus 30 years on each of the interstate travel counts, and 20 years on the child porn charge.

Horrific timeline

Officials say around September 2020, Williams met the victim in this case on Snapchat; he lied about his age, telling her that he was 17 years old when he was actually 33.

Williams then asked the victim for nude pictures of herself and when he received them, he began to “sextort” her, threatening to send them to her friends and family.

He ultimately convinced the minor to meet him at a hotel in Atlantic County, New Jersey, and agreed to allow her to delete the nude photographs from his phone. On October 2, 2020, Williams traveled to a hotel in Atlantic County and, two days later, engaged in sexual intercourse with the minor in his hotel room.

Afterward, despite his earlier promises, Williams continued to send messages to the victim, threatening to expose her nude photos.

Law enforcement officers arrested Williams in March 2021 in a sting operation where they lured him to the same hotel in Atlantic County by posing as the victim.

More victims identified

Authorities said when he was arrested, Williams’ phone contained numerous child porn pictures which have allowed them to identify more victims across the region. As a result, he is facing additional charges.

U.S. Attorney John Giordano said in a press release, "Zachary Williams is a callous sexual predator whose crimes against children were especially cruel. First and foremost, the Court’s imposed sentence will forever protect our children from further abuse by Williams."

Giordano credited special agents of the FBI, the Galloway Township and Atlantic City Police Departments, and the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office for their work in this case.