Shawn William Turley, Child Pornography, Utah 2023

Shawn William Turley, 50, Sentenced to 15 Years for Child Pornography Possession

SALT LAKE CITY - In a shocking turn of events, Shawn William Turley, a 50-year-old resident of West Valley City, has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for possession of child pornography. This harsh sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Dee Benson in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City on Wednesday afternoon.

Turley, who pleaded guilty in January to possession of child pornography, will be on supervised release for life once he completes his federal sentence. The federal sentencing guideline range in the case was 121-151 months. However, as part of a plea agreement reached in the case, a 15-year sentence was recommended to the Court. Turley faced the significant sentence because of his prior convictions.

According to the plea agreement, Turley admitted that Utah Adult Probation and Parole agents conducted a field visit at his residence in July 2013 after a 12-year-old child disclosed that he had been sexually abusing her for a year. The agents located a phone hidden under Turley’s mattress and box springs during the field visit. West Valley City police officers and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations agents joined the investigation.

Turley admitted in the plea agreement that his phone contained more than 600 images of prepubescent and pubescent females in sexually suggestive poses. He obtained the pictures using a peer-to-peer network. As part of the plea agreement, Turley also admitted to law enforcement officers that he sexually abused the 12-year-old child for approximately one year.

The case was investigated by Utah Adult Probation and Parole, the West Valley City Police Department, and HSI. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Salt Lake City. The severity of Turley’s sentence serves as a stark reminder of the gravity of child exploitation crimes and the importance of holding perpetrators accountable for their actions.

Turley’s prior convictions also played a significant role in determining the length of his sentence. As a part of the plea agreement, Turley acknowledged that he was being supervised by Utah Adult Probation and Parole for 1987 convictions for at least one qualifying first-degree felony in Utah’s Fourth District Court in Utah County.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Salt Lake City has made it clear that they will vigorously prosecute cases involving child exploitation. This sentence serves as a warning to those who would seek to exploit and harm children.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ut/pr/west-valley-man-sentenced-15-years-federal-prison-after-pleading-guilty-possession-child