According to an official press release from the United States Attorney’s Office of Northern Alabama, on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, a U.S. District Court judge sentenced Alabama resident William Guy Long (47) to 276 months in prison for attempted sex trafficking of a minor, followed by a life sentence of supervised release.
According to the plea agreement, Long arranged a date with an escort and then offered the escort $500 if she would bring an underage girl to have sex with him. Long said he wanted someone 10-years-old or younger. The escort told Long that she had a nine-year-old daughter. Long said that he preferred younger, “like 4 or 5” but he would pay $800 if she would check her nine-year-old out of school that day and bring her to him. An arrangement was made, but instead of getting the child, the escort contacted law enforcement. Long’s abhorrent request was corroborated through text messages. ICE agents, along with the Hoover and Pelham Police Departments, conducted surveillance at the hotel. When Long opened the door to his hotel room expecting to see the child with whom he planned to have sex, he instead was met by law enforcement. Long admitted that he communicated with an escort for the purpose of soliciting a minor child for an unlawful sex act. With Long’s consent, agents seized and searched his cell phone. A review of Long’s messages revealed his correspondence with another individual whom he told, “get me a young one,” and “the younger you find the more money I’ll pay FYI.”
The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 also ordered Long to pay $5,000. The sentencing comes after his guilty plea in October 2024.
In 2024, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received more than 27,800 reports of probable child sex trafficking, a 30% increase over 2023.