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Gospel Singer Sentenced to 60 Years for Molesting Minor
A Muncie, Indiana man has been slapped with a 60-year prison sentence for his heinous crimes against a 13-year-old boy. Shawn Shannon, 45, a traveling gospel singer, was convicted of 19 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of distribution of child pornography.
The disturbing case came to light when the victim’s mother discovered Shannon’s illicit intentions. According to evidence presented at trial, Shannon lured the 13-year-old boy to a hotel in Decatur, Illinois, and directed him to pose for a series of sexually explicit photos, which he took with his iPhone 5s.
The victim’s mother confronted Shannon after learning of his actions, but the predator attempted to delete evidence from his phone, including thousands of text messages and contacts. Forensic examiners, however, were able to recover these deleted messages, which revealed Shannon’s sinister intentions.
Shannon’s crimes did not stop there. Expert testimony presented at trial revealed that he engaged in sexual contact with another minor boy and took similar photos. His heinous actions have left the community reeling.
Shannon was arrested on April 15, 2015, and was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. He was sentenced to pay $1,387 in restitution to the victim and serve a lifetime of supervised release following his release from prison.
The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Decatur Police Department. It was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Elly M. Peirson of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Criminal Division and Maureen C. Cain, a former CEOS Trial Attorney who is now an Assistant United States Attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the government. The program aims to identify and rescue victims, as well as apprehend and prosecute those who exploit children via the internet.
Key Facts
- State: Indiana
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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