FRESNO, California – In a horrific case of child exploitation, Shawn McCormack, 31, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, was sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping and producing child pornography, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner, and Special Agent in Charge Ryan L. Spradlin of ICE-HSI San Francisco Office.
McCormack was found guilty in April 2015 by a federal jury of four counts of sexual exploitation of a child and two counts of kidnapping. The evidence presented at trial revealed that McCormack, feigning to be a friend, traveled to a couple’s residence in Bakersfield, California, and stayed as an overnight guest on multiple occasions. During several of the overnight stays, in the middle of the night, McCormack snuck the couple’s toddlers out of the house and recorded his sexual abuse of them at a variety of locations, including a nearby motel, outdoors, and in his truck.
McCormack then returned the toddlers to the house before the parents awoke. The evidence demonstrated that McCormack distributed the images and videos of his abuse to others online, including an undercover officer with the Toronto Police Services.
Homeland Security Investigations agents in Boston found images and recordings distributed by McCormack on a separate defendant’s computer in Massachusetts. The agents were able to identify the date, time, and specific hotel room where one of the videos had been produced. When agents visited that hotel, they learned that McCormack had rented that hotel room on the night when the recording was created. During the investigation, agents uncovered evidence that McCormack had recorded his abuse of both of the couple’s children.
The case is part of an ongoing HSI-led investigation that originated in Boston in 2010 when the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the District of Massachusetts and HSI Boston arrested and convicted Robert Diduca on child pornography production charges. Forensic analysis of Diduca’s computer led investigators to the Netherlands, where a Dutch national was arrested and charged with production, distribution, and possession of child pornography, as well as the sexual assault of 87 minors.
“McCormack’s depraved actions in this case are the stuff of nightmares. While posing as a trusted friend and house guest, McCormack kidnapped his hosts’ toddler child and sexually abused the child in local motels and parked cars,” said Assistant Attorney General Caldwell. “Through tireless efforts, law enforcement was able to rescue the victim from further abuse and ensure that McCormack never again will victimize another child.”
“McCormack’s acts were both vile and heart-breaking, and they may have continued undetected for years but for the imaginative, dogged, and painstaking work of the investigators who brought him to justice,” said U.S. Attorney Wagner. “We are gratified by the sentence McCormack received today, which is both severe and just, and while the harm that he inflicted cannot be undone, we can be assured that he will not be able to inflict further harm upon our most vulnerable.”
The sexual exploitation of children is a heinous crime that leaves lifelong emotional scars on young victims. It is our duty to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Together with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to pursue child predators and make them accountable for their dark and monstrous deeds.
This case was the product of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations, Assistant Attorney General Caldwell, U.S. Attorney Wagner, and Special Agent in Charge Spradlin.
Related Federal Cases
- Shawn McCormack, Kidnapping, Child Pornography, Colorado 2015 · Colorado
- Shawn McCormack, Kidnapping and Child Pornography, Colorado 2015 · Colorado
- Jose Henry Ayala Casamiro, Child Pornography, California 2025 · Colorado
- Donovan Nungasak, Child Pornography Production, Alaska 2025 · Colorado
- David Andres Mayoral, Child Pornography Distribution, Alaska 2024 · Colorado
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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