Ex-Army private in SoCal gets 22 years in prison for child sexual exploitation crimes
A former U.S. Army private in Southern California was sentenced Friday to 22 years in prison for producing images of child sexual abuse involving a 14-year-old girl who prosecutors say he met through Snapchat.
Parker William White, 24, used social media platforms including Instagram and Snapchat to find victims, sending them sexually explicit photos and videos of himself and grooming them to try getting them to do the same in return, according to prosecutors. Court documents say some of the girls he targeted were as young as 13 years old.
"White groomed these minor girls by boasting about his military service, telling them that they were 'beautiful' and 'queens,' and pretending to be in love with them," reads a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California. "In some instances, White deceptively portrayed himself as teenager to earn their trust."
White, a resident of Johnsonville, New York, was based at Fort Irwin in San Bernardino County. He will face a restitution hearing on May 2.
Federal authorities investigated White after the Department of Children and Families in Bay County, Florida received a tip accusing him of inappropriate online activity involving a 14-year-old girl in January 2022. Investigators later found images depicting child sexual abuse on his phone involving her and another underage girl.
In August, a jury found him guilty of three counts of receipt of child pornography, one count of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography following a five-day trial. He has been in federal custody since February 2023.
When he is released from prison, White will be placed on lifetime supervised release.
