Pittsburgh- A member of a prominent Washington County political family, who also is a major Disney World contractor, is jailed in Florida on child pornography charges, accused of producing and distributing sexually explicit images of children overseas, according to a federal indictment.
William Irey, 49, a native of Washington County now living in Orange County, Fla., was indicted Dec. 13 on one count of sexual exploitation in U.S. District Court in Orlando. He pleaded not guilty the following day.
Irey, a married father of four, is president and CEO of Frank Irey Construction Inc., a company that bears the name of his late father, a longtime Washington County Republican Party chairman and Mon Valley Progress Council president. William Irey’s sister-in-law, Diana Irey, is a Washington County commissioner who last month lost her bid to unseat U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Johnstown, in the 12th Congressional District.
The indictment provides few details of the allegations against William Irey, but outlines what law enforcement officials commonly call “sex tourism” — an adult who travels to foreign countries with the intent of engaging in sexual conduct with children. The indictment alleges Irey went outside the United States — but does not specify where — to produce visual images of children engaging in “sexually explicit conduct” to bring to this country. He then distributed those by computer and mail, according to the indictment.
The government also is seeking forfeiture of the home he owns with his wife, Candy. The Orange County Property Appraiser’s Web site lists the taxable value on the property as $444,000.
If convicted, William Irey could face 15 to 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. U.S. Magistrate Judge David A. Baker ordered him held without bond and is considering a request by defense attorney John Woodard yesterday that Irey be held in a locked-down psychiatric hospital instead of jail. The detention hearing resumes today.
Woodard did not return a call for comment, but Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia Hawkins told the judge Irey is suicidal and a danger to the community.
Irey’s arrest was part of an investigation dubbed “Operation Emissary,” which began at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in New Jersey, focusing on a Web site offering video and photos described by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Orlando as “hardcore child pornography.” The Web site warned users the site was illegal, the office said.
Frank Irey Construction Inc., based in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., has worked on numerous Disney projects, including Epcot’s Mission: Space and projects at Hong Kong Disneyland with a Chinese company it helped form 10 years ago, according to the Orlando Sentinel.