New York man sentenced for raping 13-year-old in NJ

A New York man has received a life sentence for raping a 13-year-old girl he contacted through Snapchat. Zachary Williams was convicted in a Camden federal court for multiple charges, including traveling to have sex with the girl, coercion, and possession of child pornography. Williams, 33 at the time, lied about his age, claiming to be 17. He pressured the girl to send him nude photos and later blackmailed her with threats to share those images. In October 2020, he traveled to Atlantic County, New Jersey, where he raped the girl in his hotel room. After the assault, Williams continued to threaten the victim, prompting her to report him to the police. Undercover agents then lured him back to the hotel where he was arrested in March 2021. Prosecutors revealed disturbing messages he sent, including a declaration of wanting to be her "child molester." U.S. Attorney John Giordano described Williams as a "callous sexual predator" whose actions were particularly cruel. In addition to his life sentence, Williams faces other charges in New York and Connecticut related to photographs of additional child victims found on his phone.