William Steven Wooten, 46, of Lexington, has been convicted by a federal jury on one count of possession of child sexual abuse material. 

Wooten faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and restitution. Donald C. Coggins presided over the trial and will impose sentencing after reviewing a pre-sentence report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

The case began as a stolen valor investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Authorities said Wooten possessed and used a fraudulent DD-214, a military discharge document, claiming to be a combat veteran who had received a Purple Heart.

Investigators said Wooten used the fabricated document to seek employment and to convince a single mother he could be trusted around her young children. 

Authorities later determined that Wooten had never served in the military. 

The FBI obtained a search warrant for Wooten’s phone, where agents discovered child sexual abuse material, as well as the fraudulent DD-214. FBI forensic examiners located 203 images depicting child sexual abuse. According to investigators, search terms indicated Wooten was seeking images of young girls, including children being abused by adult men.

Eight months after the FBI uncovered the material and fraudulent document, Wooten was convicted in the state court for criminal sexual conduct with a minor. Two weeks before his federal trial, he pleaded guilty to possession of the fraudulent DD-214.

The case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office and the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bill Watkins and Winston Marosek are prosecuting the case.