A 55-year-old man who traveled from Maryland to Central Florida in order to have sex with a 13-year-old girl is facing up to life in prison after he was found guilty by a federal jury this week.
William Daniel Leonard was found guilty of using the internet and his cellphone to attempt to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity, according to a statement issued U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida.
According to evidence and testimony introduced during a two-day trail, Leonard reached out to an undercover agent who was posing as the father of a 13-year-old daughter on November 12, 2021.
During their conversation, Leonard expressed an interest in meeting the child for sex and spent several weeks planning his trip from Maryland to Florida. According to authorities, Leonard was also maintaining online conversations with two other minors, a 14-year-old girl and a 16-year-old girl, at the time.
On November 19, 2021, Leonard traveled to North Carolina to meet the 14-year-old girl after he deciphered her address from a digital photograph that she had sent.
On December 7, 2021, Leonard arrived in Florida with two boxes of condoms to meet the undercover agent posing as the 13-year-old’s father. He was arrested and taken into custody. He was indicted on February 23, 2022.
Leonard faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years, or up to life, in federal prison. He will also face a potential life term of supervised release. After the return of the verdict, Leonard was remanded into custody.
Leonard is scheduled to be sentenced on January 4, 2024.