On January 29, 2021, Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer announced that 62-year-old William Walker of Chester was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a minor and then disseminating videos of the abuse to the victim’s family and friends. Walker is charged with trafficking in individuals, sexual abuse of a child, unlawful contact with a minor, dissemination of photographs/film of child sex acts, corruption of minors, and the criminal use of a communication facility.
Walker purportedly approached the victim at a Sunoco gas station in Chester, asking her to be “his friend.” Authorities allege that from October to December of 2020, Walker procured sex acts from the 17-year-old victim and bought her about $2,000 in gifts. Walker also supplied the 17-year-old with alcohol and marijuana.
The investigation began when Walker filed a complaint alleging that the victim damaged his vehicle. During the filing of this complaint, allegations surfaced that Walker told the officer that he was in a sexual relationship with the victim, and she was underage. The officer then spoke with the victim, who confirmed that Walker bought her items in return for sexual acts. Investigators verified the victim’s statement by obtaining a search warrant for the victim’s phone and conducting forensic and GPS data analysis.
The victim indicated that Walker allegedly grew increasingly controlling, threatening to turn off the cell service on the iPhone he had given her. After the victim tried to stop the abuse, Walker allegedly threatened her by vandalizing her car, harassing her, and sending videos of photographs of the sex acts to her family and friends.
The CSE Institute commends the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office for identifying the 17-year-old victim during its investigation and subsequently arresting her sex buyer. As Stollsteimer stated, “The defendant’s actions are deeply disturbing as well as illegal. He manipulated and used a young woman, fully aware of her age. We cannot and will not tolerate this criminal behavior.” We know sex traffickers and buyers target society’s most vulnerable, including children, individuals suffering from poverty and drug addiction and other challenges. In this case, Walker allegedly targeted the minor victim and coerced her into performing sex acts in exchange for money, gifts, and drugs. This coercive tactic is common among sex traffickers and sex buyers who promise to provide financial support and care to victims in exchange for sex acts.
It is uncertain why the District Attorney charged Walker with trafficking in individuals, 18 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 3011(a), and not trafficking in minors, 18 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 3011(b) since the victim is a minor under Pennsylvania law. In relevant part, 3011(b) provides that a person commits the crime of trafficking in minors if the person “entices, solicits, . . . [or] obtains . . . an individual,” resulting in “any sex act . . . for which anything of value is directly or indirectly given, promised to or received by any individual . . . and is induced or obtained from . . . [a] minor.” Walker’s alleged actions constitute the crime of “Trafficking in minors,” and he should be charged accordingly.
We also note that Pennsylvania’s Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Children exists to protect child victims of sex trafficking and provide services to assist child victims. The Safe Harbor law immunizes sexually exploited children from criminal prosecution for the crimes of prostitution and obstruction of the highway. This means a child cannot be arrested, charged, or adjudicated delinquent for either of those crimes in the Commonwealth. The Safe Harbor law identifies sexually exploited children as victims, not criminals and mandates a trauma-informed approach to handling cases involving the sexual exploitation of minors.
The District Attorney’s message mirrors the mission of the CSE Institute: recognizing the need to protect child victims of sexual abuse and sex trafficking and target the demand by arresting sex traffickers and buyers who perpetuate the vicious cycle of commercial sexual exploitation. By limiting demand, we believe this legal framework, known as the Equality Model, effectively decreases exploitation of women and children and protects vulnerable populations from violence. We will continue to monitor the progression of this case and provide updates.