According to First Judicial District Attorney Steve Finney, a Tennessee businessman who is accused of filming the sexual assaults of more than 50 women has also been charged with numerous counts of child sexual abuse.
The Johnson City Police Department (JCPD) is being sued in federal court by ten unnamed women who claim that Sean Williams drugged and raped them during parties hosted in his downtown apartment. They claim that the JCPD disregarded their reports about him.
Williams had been on the run for two years before to the federal complaint after being accused of being a felon in possession of ammunition in 2021 by former Assistant U.S. Attorney Kateri Dahl, who claims that Johnson City officials fired her after she voiced her concerns about Williams.
Williams was eventually apprehended by North Carolina police in April after they discovered he was a fugitive and obtained search warrants. They discovered footage on his electronic devices that allegedly depicted him raping 52 different women.
Last month, a Western Carolina University (WCU) police spokeswoman revealed to Fox News Digital that detectives discovered Williams parked on campus and performed a standard inspection.
As local site WJHL originally reported, WCU police discovered drugs in his car and secured a search warrant for his gadgets, where they discovered recordings and pictures of 52 different victims who appeared to have been sexually abused by Williams. The representative added that one of the thumb drives had more than 5,000 photographs of child pornography on it.
Williams, the previous proprietor of Glass and Concrete Contracting LLC in Tennessee, refuted the accusations in a Tuesday exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.
“I have no charges relating to the alleged data,” he said. “[I]f it existed, I would have been already charged.”
A day later, Finney charged Williams with 29 counts of child sexual abuse in three different cases, including two counts of child rape and four counts of severe sexual exploitation of a minor in the first case; three counts of severe sexual battery of a person under the age of 13 and 12 counts of severe sexual exploitation of a minor in the second case; and four counts of child rape and four counts of severe sexual exploitation of a minor in the third case.
The Eastern District of Tennessee’s Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Gomez charged Williams on the same day with three counts of producing child pornography involving three different victims.
Attorneys for the 10 “Jane Does” who claim that Williams drugged and assaulted them sexually filed a lawsuit against the city and its officials in June.
“From November 2019-2020, JCPD received at least six reports alleging Williams had attempted to drug and/or sexually assault women in his apartment in downtown Johnson City. Instead of arresting Williams, however, JCPD officers treated Williams as though he were, in the words of Detective Toma Sparks, ‘untouchable.’”
According to the federal complaint, between 2018 and 2021, Williams—a “known drug dealer and convicted felon”—conspired with an unnamed woman and a man to “recruit local women and bring them directly to Williams’ garage and apartment, where he would drug and sexually assault them.” Alvaro Fernando Diaz-Vargas is described as being “young and good-looking.” Williams allegedly provided Diaz-Vargas and the woman with free housing in exchange.
All of the victims named in the case are said to have become unconscious after consuming alcohol or drugs at Williams’ flat or with his friends. Additionally, they all claim that Williams attempted to rape or otherwise assault them while they were unconscious.
One of the victims allegedly grew intoxicated at Williams’ flat, departed in her car, slammed into the base of a lamppost and died instantly. Two of the victims reported the incidents to the police, and a third victim got in touch with the FBI.
JCPD told Fox News Digital in a statement that “[t]he remainder of facts will present themselves in a court of law” and that the department is asking “that judgments be reserved until that process unfolds.”
“In the meantime, Johnson City remains diligent in working to ensure that our police department is providing the best possible service to victims of sexual crimes,” a spokesperson said. “It is unfortunate that anything would aim to take away from those efforts instead of targeting the perpetrators of horrific crimes.”
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Dahl is currently speaking out about how the JCPD is allegedly handling the cases and concerns of the victims. According to Whistleblower Aid, she has filed her own lawsuit against Johnson City as well as a disclosure with the Justice Department.
Dahl’s worries looked to be supported by an independent evaluation of the JCPD’s handling of sexual assault that the city had commissioned. According to a city press release, findings showed that JCPD has “material deficiencies” that “can hinder the ability to gather necessary evidence for a complete and accurate investigation.” According to the press release, among other things, the department’s reports “were found to be inconsistent, ineffective, and incomplete” and its “process of closing investigations is flawed and inaccurate.”
