Columbia County Man Arrested For Distribution Of Child Sexual Abuse Material

Jacksonville, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the arrest and filing of a criminal complaint charging William Ervin Daniels (45, Lake City) with distributing child sex abuse material. If convicted, Daniels faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 5, up to 20 years, in federal prison.

According to the criminal complaint, Daniels distributed two videos containing child sex abuse material in a group called “Da Litl Kidz Gc” on a social media application on November 16, 2023. He identified his name and phone number in his account profile on the social media application. Daniels was also listed as an administrator for the group to which he distributed the videos.

A complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly S. Milliron.

This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.