NEWS RELEASE

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY

WESTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI

BRADLEY J. SCHLOZMAN

Contact Don Ledford, Public Affairs ● (816) 426-4220 ● 400 East Ninth Street, Room 5510 ● Kansas City, MO 64106

www.usdoj.gov/usao/mow/index.html

JANUARY 25, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FORMER NURSE PLEADS GUILTY TO

PRODUCING CHILD PORN

            KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Bradley J. Schlozman, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Cameron, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to using a minor in his custody to produce child pornography.

            William S. Price, 43, of Cameron, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Nanette K. Laughrey this morning to all five counts contained in a June 28, 2006, federal indictment. Price was formerly a nursing supervisor at the Missouri State Veterans Home in Caldwell County, Mo.

            “This defendant repeatedly drugged a minor victim, and while she was unconscious, videotaped himself molesting and raping her,” Schlozman said. “Never before have I encountered anything so revoltingly sadistic and morally repugnant. The only way to protect our community from this monster is to lock him up for a very long time.”

            In addition to his own production of child pornography, Schlozman added, Price also downloaded and saved images of child pornography from the Internet using a Kazaa-like file-sharing program.

            Schlozman noted that law enforcement officers executed search warrants at Price’s home and office. Drugs seized from his home included heavy sedatives, tranquilizers, muscle relaxers and anesthesia, along with drugs to reverse a sedative effect or anesthesia to bring a person out of unconsciousness, and Viagra. The items seized also included various needles and syringes, laxatives, a condom, a bottle of KY ultra gel and a camera and tripod.

            By pleading guilty today, Price admitted that he was a parent or guardian of a minor who he controlled for the purpose of attempting to produce child pornography from Oct. 1, 2005, to June 12, 2006.

            Price also admitted that he attempted to use the file-sharing program to cause notices to be published on the Internet offering child pornography, and that he attempted to distribute child pornography and to receive child pornography over the Internet, from Nov. 11, 2004, to May 16, 2006. Price admitted to being in possession of child pornography on June 12, 2006.

            Price also agreed to forfeit to the government any property used to commit the offenses, including a Western Digital 120-gig hard drive that was seized by law enforcement officers.

            Under federal statutes, Price could be subject to mandatory minimum sentences of 15 years in federal prison without parole for controlling a minor to produce child pornography and for attempting to publish a notice of child pornography, and mandatory minimum sentences of five years in federal prison without parole for attempting to distribute child pornography and for attempting to receive child pornography, with a maximum sentence for all counts of the indictment of life in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $1.25 million. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

            This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia L. Phillips. It was investigated by the Cameron, Mo., Police Department, the Caldwell County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, is available on-line at

www.usdoj.gov/usao/mow/index.html