Quinn, five others sentenced in District Court

BEAVER CITY — Judge James Doyle sentenced William “Billy” Quinn, 57, to a minimum of 176.5 years in prison for first-degree sexual assault and sex trafficking of a teenage girl and the production of child pornography during 2019 and 2020 in Furnas County District Court on Wednesday.
Prior to the proceedings, Quinn, who was hand-cuffed, turned around in his chair, peering over his glasses and acknowledged family members in the court room.
Following a two-week trial in June, Quinn was found guilty of 13 of 14 counts that had been brought against him in one of the last cases that Judge David Urbom presided over before retiring in August. The sentencing was continued twice since Doyle had not presided over the trial.
Before sentencing Quinn, Doyle assured the convicted felon that he had reviewed all court files, read the entire court transcript that was over 500 pages, examined every exhibit, deposition, and all emails and watched every video associated with the case, specifically stating that he had also read Quinn’s 38-page letter to him as well as letters of support.
In clarifying that he was “relying upon facts,” Doyle went through each of the 13 counts, assessing the sentence. Following the sentencing, the prosecuting attorneys took several minutes with pen and paper, figuring out the exact parameters of the sentence.
Quinn was sentenced from 176.5 to 304 years in prison and will not be eligible for parole for 110 years and nine months. He’s eligible for mandatory discharge after serving 176 years and three months.
Prior to the Doyle pronouncing sentencing, Furnas County Attorney Morgan Farquhar addressed the court, stating that Quinn was an “abusive, perverse man” who preys upon the most vulnerable persons in society; stating that Quinn manipulated and controlled the victim for his purposes.
Farquhar said that 18 men have been charged with crimes committed against the victim and another man would be charged later in the day. He also noted that without Quinn, none of these men would have been able to abuse the victim, concluding that Quinn should remain incarcerated because he is not capable of societal norms, and would likely reoffend.
Quinn’s attorney, Joseph Howard, advised the court that Quinn has already served 704 days and that he is still a person with a life worth living; adding that he is a father and businessman. He asked the court
for mercy, and sentence his client to concurrent, not consecutive years. He shared a quote from Pope Francis, “A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just.”
Quinn took the opportunity to address the court, stating that he would like to apologize for making “several bad choices,” acknowledging that his actions had adversely impacted his family and Furnas County. Immediately after apologizing for the stigma that his actions brought to Furnas County, he alluded to the case being over reported, thus creating an “unfair stigma,” to the good people of Furnas County. He characterized the coverage as being “overblown by the media.”
At one point, he said that he mostly wanted to apologize to his family whom he said he loves with all his heart for “shame and embarrassment.”
In addition to being critical of the media, he was critical of Farquhar for characterizing him as being without remorse. He admonished Doyle to “sort out facts from fiction.” Near the end of his statement, he said, “I’m a good man,” before continuing that he was a “productive member of society, not a detriment to society.” He concluded by saying he was sorry to everyone, and he hopes the victim flourishes and that he did not wish any bad to her.
Five other area men who were charged with crimes against the victim were sentenced by Doyle on Wednesday. Jacob Kramer, Bucky Weaver, Terry Smith, and Justin Brooks were all sentenced to five years of probation during which time alcohol and drug consumption is prohibited. Each man was sentenced to serve 90 days in jail beginning on December 31, 2021, with work release provisions, and assessed a $1,000 fine. As convicted felons, they are restricted from owning or possessing firearms for life.
Bucky Weaver and Terry Smith must register as sex offenders for 25 years and complete a sex offender treatment program.
Carl Kramer, Sr. was also sentenced to five years of probation for two counts of felony child abuse and assessed to pay $1,000 for each count and serve two consecutive 90-day sentences. Kramer was originally charged with three counts of sex trafficking of a minor, but one charge was dropped and two of the charges were amended to child abuse.
Kramer testified for the prosecution in the trial of Quinn in June. During his sentencing, Doyle pronounced that Kramer would have to register as a sex offender for 25 years, but his lawyer asked to approach the bench. Following a recess, Corey O’Brien from the Attorney General’s office confirmed that his office had reached an agreement that Kramer would not have to register as a sex offender. Kramer has contended that he thought the victim was 18 during the time that he paid her for six sexual encounters.