Seattle Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Child Sex Abuse Images
A 23-year-old Puyallup, Washington, man was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for production and possession of images of child sexual abuse, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman.
Shawn Stone was arrested at Sea-Tac airport in August 2022, as he returned from a family trip to Germany.
The FBI identified Stone as a person sharing images of child sexual abuse on an online platform in the summer of 2022.
At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones talked about the impact on victims of child sexual abuse saying, “The damage to young children doesn’t stop, it goes on a lifetime…. Their pain continues and their suffering continues.”
Stone admitted to sexually molesting children in Germany on a 2019 trip, producing some of the images that were later disseminated online.
He also admitted acquiring and sharing images involving the rape and torture of very young children.
Stone pleaded guilty in January 2024.
Following the prison term, he will be on 25 years of supervised release and will be required to register as a sex offender.
At a future date, Judge Jones will determine the amount of restitution Stone owes the various victims depicted in his collection of images of child sexual abuse.
More than 20 victims have filed claims which still must be reviewed by attorneys involved in the case.
The case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Washington State Patrol, Tacoma Police Department, Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, Washington Department of Corrections, and US Army.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Matt Hampton.
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 Department of Justice.
Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Key Facts
- State: Washington
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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