Jury Finds Seattle Attorney Guilty in Online Child Sexual Exploitation Case

Washington attorney traveled to Oregon to meet with an undercover FBI agent who posed as a 14-year old girl online

            Portland, Ore. - On Friday, August 17, 2007, in the United States District Court in Portland, a federal jury found Seattle Attorney William Brook Knowles, 53, guilty of one count of Enticement and Coercion of a Minor and one count of Travel with Intent to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct with a Minor.  Sentencing is set for October 29, 2007 before United States District Court Judge Michael W. Mosman.

            Knowles faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison on the charge of Coercion and Enticement of a person under the age of 18 to engage in sexual activity.  Both charges carry a maximum prison sentence of 30 years, followed by 3-year terms of supervised release, along with fines not to exceed $250,000.

            “We hope this case sends a strong message to those who troll the internet to prey on children for their own sexual gratification,” stated United States Attorney Karin J. Immergut.  “We will pursue such predators and hopefully catch them before they have a chance to ensnare a child.”

            “The FBI in Portland will continue to prioritize its use of undercover cyber agents working online to identify individuals such as Knowles who prey on children,” stated Special Agent Jane Brillhart, media spokesperson and one of the lead investigators on this case.

            On June 14, 2004, the defendant, through his online screen name, entered an AOL internet chat room and began corresponding with an undercover FBI special agent, who was posing on the internet as a 14-year old female from Portland, Oregon.  Starting on that date and continuing over the course of about one month, the defendant engaged in sexually suggestive and explicit internet chats with the undercover FBI agent.  The defendant pursued setting up a meeting with the FBI agent in Portland to engage in the illicit sexual activities described in their internet conversations.

            On July 15, 2004, in accordance with plans established between the defendant and the agent during the internet chats, the defendant flew from Seattle, Washington to Portland, Oregon.  After arriving in Portland, the defendant rented a car and ran some errands related to his work as a labor attorney.  He then stopped to purchase condoms and alcohol before checking into a Portland hotel.  The defendant then went to the PGE Park MAX train stop to meet the person he thought was a 14-year old female as they had pre-arranged.  After the defendant’s arrival at the PGE Park MAX train stop, he was placed under arrest by FBI agents.       

            After the defendant was arrested, he consented to a search of his hotel room.  During the search, law enforcement officers found a laptop computer, one bottle of wine, one bottle of sparkling wine and various sexual aids, including a box of condoms, a box of latex gloves, 2 red whips, several rubber and nylon restraints, and a variety of sexual lubricants, among other things.  A forensic examination of the laptop computer found in the defendant’s hotel room revealed several images of child pornography. 

            In February 2006, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorneys Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.            

This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Greg Nyhus.  For further information, please contact Criminal Chief Kent Robinson at (503) 727-1019.