Crimes against Children 10-31-12

Sacramento, CA
John Patrick Frost Jr., 28, of Rocklin, pleaded guilty today to one count of possession of visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

According to court documents, on March 12, 2009, a photo-sharing website reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Cybertipline that a user had posted child pornography to their page. Further investigation led to a residence in Placer County where Frost spent time. According to the plea agreement, Frost admitted that between March 1, 2009 and August 9, 2009, he knowingly possessed images of child pornography. He further admitted that he had two prior state convictions involving child pornography.

Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; Michael B. Steinbach, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office; and Franklin C. Adderly, Chief of Police, Fort Lauderdale Police Department, announce that Van Lawson Williams, 49, of Fort Lauderdale, was convicted by a jury today of sex trafficking of minors, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1591(a)(1). Sentencing has not yet been scheduled.

After a six-day trial before U.S. District Judge Daniel T.K. Hurley, the jury found defendant Williams guilty of four counts of sex trafficking of minors and one count of attempted sex trafficking of minors. During trial, six victims, all runaways at the time they met Williams, testified that they worked or were recruited to work as prostitutes at Williams’ residence. According to the trial evidence, Williams befriended minor female runaways in his neighborhood and invited them to stay with him at his Fort Lauderdale residence, promising them food and shelter. Williams would then convince the girls to work as prostitutes. When the customers arrived at Williams’ residence, they paid Williams a “rental fee” for use of one of the bedrooms. The customers would then engage in sexual activity with the minor of their choosing and would pay the minor for the date. The victims testified that on most occasions, they were required to give Williams the money they collected for their prostitution services. Several of the victims testified that Williams provided them with illegal narcotics, including marijuana and crack cocaine, and that he engaged in or attempted to engage in sexual activity with them.

Columbus, OH
Carl W. Shye, Jr., 57, of New Albany, Ohio, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 24 months in prison and ordered to repay $472,579.90 in federal funds that he embezzled between 2005 and 2011 while serving as treasurer for four community schools in Ohio.

Shye pleaded guilty on June 21, 2012, to one count of embezzlement. Shye admitted that, between October 2005 and September 2011, Shye used his position as treasurer of multiple Ohio community schools to embezzle from the schools that employed him.

The schools involved include the former George Washington Carver Preparatory Academy which was located in Columbus, Ohio; the former Legacy Academy for Leaders & Arts which was in Youngstown, Ohio; and the former NuBethel Center of Excellence and New City Community School, both in Dayton.