Former Law Enforcement Officer Found Guilty of Attempted Online Enticement of a Minor

Spokane, Washington - Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that a jury returned a verdict on May 14, 2024, following the trial of 49-year-old Koby Don Williams. Williams was found guilty of one count of Attempted Online Enticement of a Minor.

Evidence introduced at trial established that on July 23, 2022, Williams replied to a Craigslist ad as part of an undercover law enforcement operation meant to identify individuals interested in and willing to meet with minors for sex. Over the next three days, Williams chatted over text with 13-year-old “Rebecca,”, who Williams believed to be a minor. During the text conversation, Williams discussed “Rebecca’s” age; her rates she charged for sex acts, Williams’s employment as a “cop;” and arrangements to meet “Rebecca” at a hotel for sex.

On July 26, 2022, Williams arrived at the Quality Inn in Othello, Washington, to meet “Rebecca.” Instead, Williams was contacted by law enforcement and arrested. Following a search of Williams and his vehicle, officers located Williams’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement badge, two bottles of prescription medication that included directions to take prior to sexual activity, and $4,075 in U.S. currency in a credit union envelope.

United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice presided over the trial, which began on May 13, 2024. Sentencing in this matter is set for August 14, 2024.

“No one is above the law, and, as this case demonstrates, the U.S Attorney’s Office is fully committed to vigorously prosecuting those who target the most vulnerable members of our community,” stated U.S. Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref. “Mr. Williams’s conduct stands in stark contrast to the trust we place in federal law enforcement to keep Eastern Washington communities safe and strong.  Our Assistant United States Attorneys, including AUSA Ann Wick, who tried this case, remain committed to upholding the integrity of our mission to protect and serve.”

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov

This case was investigated by the FBI, DHS/OIG, and the Othello Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ann Wick.