ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Shannon T. Lewis, 41, of Elmira, NY, has pleaded guilty to producing child pornography in the United States District Court for the Western District of New York. The 30-year-old faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison, along with a fine up to $250,000.
Lewis was identified during a sexual assault investigation by the Elmira Police Department. It was discovered that he harbored minors who had fled from a juvenile facility, providing them with drugs including bath salts. He was accused of raping a 16-year-old girl and videotaping the act. The video also shows Lewis giving the victim bath salts before, during, and after the rape.
Lewis is currently serving a two-and-a-half-year state prison sentence for rape in Chemung County. Today’s guilty plea comes on the heels of findings that he created explicit videos showing him hiding a camera and raping the child. Following his conviction, Lewis was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshals Service.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, the Department of Justice’s initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. The investigation involved Special Agents from the FBI’s Corning Resident Office and members of the Elmira Police Department, led by Chief Michael Robertson.
Sentencing for Lewis is set for May 27, 2015, at 11:00 a.m., before Judge Charles J. Siragusa.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime|Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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