Juneau man sentenced to 40 years for child sexual abuse, publishing materials online

William Steadman, 35, abused 10-year-old boy, produced 43 images and 63 videos of illegal activity, according to officials

William Steadman, a Juneau resident, was sentenced Tuesday, June 16, 2026, to 40 years in prison for producing child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office. (Photo provided by the U.S. Department of Justice)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

A Juneau man who pleaded guilty to a count of producing child pornography was sentenced Tuesday to 40 years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

William Steadman, 35, "manipulated and groomed a vulnerable 10-year-old boy" in Juneau between March and August of 2024, according to a press release issued by federal prosecutors Tuesday. A Juneau Police Department affidavit at the time stated Steadman was living in the same residence as the victim.

"He sexually abused the minor and produced 43 images and 63 videos depicting the abuse," the U.S. Attorney’s office release states. "He posted some of these visuals to platforms on the dark web. Steadman bragged about his sexual abuse and manipulation of the minor on the platforms."

Steadman has a previous state court conviction in 2018. He was sentenced to six years imprisonment, with three years suspended and five years of subsequent supervised release, and required to register as a sex offender.

"Following his release from state custody, Steadman began a dark web collection of thousands of visuals depicting child sexual abuse and eventually distributing CSAM he produced of the minor victim," according to the press release issued Tuesday. "Steadman possessed over 3,300 images and over 1,100 videos of CSAM, representing thousands of additional minor victims."

Steadman was arrested on Sept. 6, 2024, on a charge of sexual exploitation of a child and indicted by a federal grand jury two weeks later. He pleaded guilty on March 31, 2025, to one count of production of child pornography. He faced a mandatory minimum of 25 years and a maximum of 50 years in prison on the charge.

"In handing down the sentence, the Court emphasized the defendant’s long track record of recidivism and the need to protect the public from Steadman for a significant amount of time," according to Tuesday’s press release. He was also ordered to spend the rest of his life on supervised release once he completes his prison sentence and pay restitution to be determined at a future date.

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.