A Madison man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in connection with his involvement with a website where users could access images and videos depicting child sexual abuse.

According to prosecutors, William Michael Spearman, 57, of Madison, was the lead administrator of the website which had been operating for many years. Spearman pleaded guilty to engaging in a child exploitation enterprise.

An additional four people, from Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina and Nevada, have been convicted in the Southern District of Florida for their involvement with the same website.

Investigators said the website included a section devoted to the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers, a section with images and videos depicting children being subjected to pain and torture, and a section dealing with avoiding detection by law enforcement.

Spearman, who was the lead administrator, managed a staff, directed them in running the site, recommended other users for promotion, kept records of child pornography files advertised and distributed over the site, praised and scolded users, and advertised and distributed images over the website.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 31, and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit, West Palm Beach Resident Agency, and Miami Field Office investigated the cases. FBI Field Offices and resident agencies in Huntsville and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Northern District of Alabama assisted.