Vice Chairman of Smyth County School Board Arrested

ABINGDON, Va. – Todd Stewart Williams, the Vice Chairman of the Smyth County School Board, was arrested at his home today on federal criminal charges related to child exploitation.

According to court documents, Williams spent more than $10,000 between May 2022 and January 2024 to entice at least six juvenile victims into sending him nude images and sexually explicit videos of themselves and others.

“Sexual exploitation and abuse have grown exponentially through the use of the internet, especially its online gaming platforms,” said Christopher R. Kavanaugh, United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia. “The safety and well-being of children in our communities are top priorities of my Office, and we are committed to the joint efforts with our law enforcement partners to relentlessly pursue these perpetrators and ensure they are brought to justice.”

“This case is a reminder of the constant threat of child exploitation minors face online,” said Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Richmond Field Office. “Whether an offender sexually abuses a child in person or online, the FBI and our partners will continue to seek justice for innocent victims by holding offenders accountable.”

Williams’s alleged criminal activity came to the attention of law enforcement in September 2022 when a 15-year-old teenager living in Oklahoma reported to the FBI that Williams, using the Snapchat username “todd_w3411” requested nude images and videos of him.

During an interview with law enforcement, the teen told investigators he met Williams in a Snapchat group intended for gay teenage males. Soon after they began chatting, Williams reached out to the teen and offered to make in-app purchases in an online video game in exchange for nude pictures of the teen.  

From May 1, 2022 through October 1, 2022, Williams sent the teen over $2,000 in exchange for nude images and videos.

Based on the information obtained from the FBI investigation in Oklahoma, the FBI in Richmond began an investigation into the Snapchat activities of Williams’ username, “todd_w3411.”

The FBI’s investigation uncovered multiple instances of Williams’s alleged exploitation of minors.  In one instance, Williams used Snapchat to communicate with a then 12-year-old minor and offered to purchase items for an online game before eventually offering to buy nude pictures and videos from the boy.

Between August 2022 and January 2024, Williams sent the young victim nearly $1,000 in exchange for nude images and videos.

In January 2023, Williams met another teen on Snapchat and paid the teen to take pictures and videos of him sexually abusing his younger stepbrother, who was 10 years old at the time. As directed by Williams, the teen would approach his stepbrother in their bedroom at night and force his stepbrother to watch pornography. The teen would masturbate and take pictures.

Because the teen reached the $600 monthly limit on Cash App transactions, Williams mailed him a debit card hidden inside a pair of shoes to ensure he was able to purchase his videos.

In a six-month period, Williams paid over $3,500 for nude images and videos of the teen and his stepbrother.  

In yet another interaction with a young teenage boy on Snapchat, Williams paid over $3,000 in exchange for nude images and videos of him and his teenage boyfriend.

If you or someone you know have information about this matter or feel you may have been a victim, please contact the FBI Richmond Division.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Whit Pierce is prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.