Fake Veteran Sentenced to 109 Months for Child Abuse Images

William Steven Wooten, 46, of Lexington, South Carolina, was sentenced to 109 months in federal prison followed by 20 years of supervised release after a jury convicted him of possessing child sexual abuse material. The FBI found 203 images on his phone while investigating his fraudulent military discharge document; Wooten had falsely claimed to be a combat veteran and Purple Heart recipient, using the lie to seek work and gain a single mother’s trust around her children. He also pleaded guilty to possessing the forged document and had previously been convicted in state court of criminal sexual conduct with a minor.