Nathaniel Willard Byrd
“Of all people who should not be fueling the trade of videos depicting the torture of children, a youth coach should be at the top of the list,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “We will be vigilant to prosecute those that harm our children, particularly those we entrust with their care.”
According to court documents and the sentencing hearing, law enforcement determined that an internet user, later identified as Byrd, was storing CSAM to a cloud-based account. Some of the CSAM included videos depicting children between two and 12 years old engaged in sex acts, including the torture of an 18-month-old child. On October 30, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Byrd’s residence and seized his cellphone. During an interview with investigators, Byrd admitted that he downloaded CSAM. A forensic review of the cellphone revealed that the phone contained the BitTorrent app, a peer-to-peer file-sharing application, and that Byrd possessed more than 1,300 files depicting the sexual abuse of children, 278 of which were videos. Some of the CSAM had been downloaded using the BitTorrent app.
In December 2025, Byrd pleaded guilty to receiving CSAM. He is currently in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation to a federal facility.
In making the announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked Homeland Security Investigations, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the Boone Police Department, and the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office for their work on this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Spaugh of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
Pres Release from Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina