MADISON, Ala. (WHNT) – A man was sentenced to life in prison for his involvement in a website dedicated to advertising and distributing media of child sexual abuse, according to the Department of Justice.

On January 22, 2024, 58-year-old William Michael Spearman of Madison was sentenced to life in prison after he pleaded guilty to engaging in a child exploitation enterprise in June.

In November 2022, a search in Madison led to the arrest of a Spearman and connected him to a child pornography and trafficking website, according to an FBI agent’s affidavit filed in federal court in Alabama.

Upon his arrest, agents say Spearman admitted he had been active on the website since 2018, shared child pornography on the site, and took steps to manage the site, according to court records. There was also child pornography on devices in his home, according to the affidavit.

Court records show that he was the lead administrator of a website that distributed pictures and videos of children being sexually abused,

The website included sections devoted to different subjects, like infants and toddlers, children being tortured and how to avoid detection by law enforcement. As admin of this site, Spearman had ‘staff’ members, whom he directed on how to run and promote the site and keep records of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), court records indicate.

Six other defendants have also been convicted and sentenced for their involvement.