William McCaughan Jr., the one-time Key Biscayne lawyer facing six federal child sex charges, is set to plead guilty next month, court documents show.
The plea agreement details were not disclosed in a docket entry in the criminal case file on Thursday so it remains unknown how many of the charges McCaughan will plead to or the length of the prison sentence he will face.
Each charge carries a minimum mandatory sentence of between 5 and 15 years with a maximum of a life sentence for coercing a minor into a sex act.
U.S. District Judge Rudolfo Ruiz ordered the government to submit copies of the plea agreement, a factual proffer, and a document outlining the elements and penalties of the offense no later than May 26.
Ruiz canceled a May 6 trial. McCaughan’s attorney did not return an email seeking comment late Thursday. McCaughan has been confined at the Federal Detention Center in Miami since taken into custody by the FBI last July 28.
The former lawyer for The Morgan Group in Coral Gables initially faced two child pornography charges for receiving an image of an 11-year-old Texas girl illicitly photographed by her uncle and attempting to solicit other illicit images from an undercover agent.
The case against McCaughan was significantly expanded in February when the prosecutors brought four additional charges accusing McCaughan of luring children into committing sex acts and producing child pornography.
Details of the additional charges remain under seal, but Key Biscayne Police Chief Frank Sousa said the FBI told him that the alleged victims were not Key Biscayne minors.
Each charge carries a minimum mandatory sentence of between 5 and 15 years with a maximum of a life sentence for coercing a minor into a sex act.
The case against McCaughan only became public on New Year’s Eve when it was learned that he voluntarily agreed to a suspension of his law license. This caused an outcry among some Key Biscayne residents that they weren’t informed by the Village of the arrest.
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JOHN PACENTI is the executive editor of the Key Biscayne Independent. John has worked for The Associated Press, the Palm Beach Post, Daily Business Review, and WPTV-TV.