CINCINNATI, Ohio — An Ohio man who pretended to be a teen boy online in order to sexually exploit young girls was sentenced Thursday to 26 years in prison by a federal judge.

The sentencing of William Elam, 53, of Middletown, was made after he pleaded guilty in July to 10 counts of coercion and enticement and one count of sexual exploitation of children, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.

“There are real-life consequences to actions taken online,” U.S. Attorney Dominick Gerace II said in a statement. “Predators like Elam hide behind a computer screen while preying on vulnerable children. But the harm they cause is real and so is the significant amount of time they will spend in federal prison to account for those actions.”

Prosecutors say Elam u

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