Shawn Bunnell, Child Pornography, New York 2024
Sydney's darkest streets are often overlooked by the general public, but crime never truly takes a holiday.
A Utica man has been sentenced to a lengthy prison term for his involvement in one of the most heinous crimes imaginable.
Shawn Bunnell, a 35-year-old Utica resident, was found guilty of ten counts of transportation of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
The defendant's crimes were uncovered after a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was sent to the New York State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force in Utica.
According to investigators, Bunnell used a cell phone to produce images depicting the molestation of a two-year-old girl.
The defendant admitted to transporting numerous image files depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct through servers maintained by Google, Inc. and Dropbox, Inc. between May 30, 2017, and August 15, 2017.
Additionally, Bunnell confessed to possessing graphic video files depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct on a Samsung cellular telephone in his possession.
Bunnell's guilty plea also revealed that he has a prior conviction for sexual abuse involving a minor, which he was convicted of in Oneida County Court on March 27, 2003.
The defendant was sentenced to 5 years in prison and 3 years post-release supervision at the time.
Shawn Bunnell was sentenced to serve 600 months in prison, or 50 years, for his crimes.
Chief United States District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby also sentenced Bunnell to a lifetime term of supervised release, which will begin after he completes his prison term.
Bunnell will remain a registered sex offender upon his release from prison.
The case was investigated by the Oneida County Sheriff's Office, Oneida County Child Advocacy Center, Whitesboro Police Department, Utica Police Department, New York State Police, and Homeland Security Investigations.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lisa M. Fletcher, Geoffrey J.L. Brown, and Sahar L. Amandolare.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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