Ex-prof caught in Mexico


Walter Lee Williams, a former professor added to the FBI’s Most Wanted List for child sex crimes, was indicted June 19 in Los Angeles after being apprehended June 18 in eastern Mexico.

Williams was found in the Caribbean town of Playa del Carmen in the state of Quintana Roo. Authorities said he was not living under an assumed name.

The FBI said authorities have identified at least 10 victims between the ages of 9 and 17, all of whom are overseas.

Williams traveled extensively, and many of his victims are said to be citizens of developing countries. USC previously listed Williams as an expert on Belize, Cambodia, China, Laos, Malaysia and Mexico.

According to the Los Angeles Times, he fled Los Angeles in 2011 after an adult student told the Los Angeles Police Department that Williams was allegedly looking for minors to have sex with online. When Williams returned from a trip to the Philippines, the FBI seized his computer, which had evidence of sex crimes with minors.

There is currently no evidence that any illegal activity took place on campus.

As an academic, Williams was noted for his work on sexuality in Native American communities.

In addition, Williams started the Gay and Lesbian Review in 1996 and served as President of the ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives, helping to bring them to campus. During his time at USC, Williams served as an adviser for several student organizations, including the Lambda Grads, Shades of Troy and the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Assembly.