Gainesville man and former Bronson teacher/coach sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for production of child pornography

Press release from U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Billy McCall, Jr., 41, of Gainesville, Florida, was sentenced to a term of 480 months in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to three counts of production of child pornography. The sentence was announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

“Crimes against children are among the most heinous types of offenses and deserving of the most significant sentences,” said U.S. Attorney Coody. “The sexual abuse of children – here by a trusted educator – robs them of their innocence and results in devastating psychological pain. We will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to investigate and vigorously prosecute those who seek to harm our most vulnerable.”

In July of 2022, the Levy County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) received a report from a 15-year-old boy who was a student at Bronson Middle/High School, located in Bronson, Florida. The child, who played for the Bronson basketball team, reported that McCall, his basketball coach, had inappropriately touched the child and had solicited explicit videos from the child. Further investigation by the LCSO led to the interview of two other child victims, who were also members of the Bronson basketball team coached by McCall.

On July 27, 2022, McCall was arrested by the LCSO on state charges related to lewd and lascivious molestation of a person 12 years of age or older but under 16 years of age. During the arrest, law enforcement seized a cellular telephone from McCall, which was later forensically examined. Extraction of that device led to discovery of numerous videos, recorded at the defendant’s house through use of a camera installed in the bathroom, depicting nude male child victims engaged in sexual conduct, at least one of which included the defendant personally engaged in sexual contact with the child.

“The betrayal of trust by a coach, who is meant to guide and protect the children in his care, highlights the darkest side of humanity and warrants the toughest accountability,” said Homeland Security Investigation Tallahassee Assistant Special Agent in Charge Nicholas Ingegno. “Those who exploit the innocence of our youth not only commit an unthinkable act but also perpetuate a life-long cycle of suffering. We stand united with our law enforcement partners to ensure that justice is served and that we protect the vulnerable from those who seek to harm them.”

McCall’s prison sentence will be followed by a lifetime of supervised release, and he will be required to register as a sex offender and be subject to all sex offender conditions. The Court also ordered forfeiture of an electronic device used to store the child pornography produced by McCall. McCall’s prison sentence will run concurrent to a twenty-year state prison sentence imposed in the State case for which McCall was arrested on July 27, 2022.

This conviction was the result of a joint investigation conducted by the Levy County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorneys Frank Williams and David Byron prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), it marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.