Colorado man sentenced to life for kidnapping and producing child pornography

FRESNO, Calif. – A Colorado man was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison for four counts of sexual exploitation of a child and two counts of kidnapping, following an extensive ongoing probe led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in collaboration with the Bakersfield and Colorado Springs police departments.

Shawn McCormack, 31, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, was found guilty in April 2015 by a federal jury of kidnapping and producing child pornography involving two toddlers. According to evidence presented at trial, McCormack, feigning to be a friend, traveled to a couple’s residence in Bakersfield, and stayed as an overnight guest on multiple occasions. During several of the overnight stays, McCormack snuck the couple’s toddlers out of the house in the middle of the night 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.

“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 Leslie R. 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.”

HSI special agents in Boston originally found images and recordings distributed by McCormack on a separate defendant’s computer in Massachusetts. Working closely with HSI special agents in Bakersfield and Colorado Springs, the investigators were able to identify the date, time and specific hotel room where one of the videos had been produced. When HSI special agents visited the 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.

“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 Benjamin B. 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 HSI-led investigation 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. Since then, investigators have unraveled a worldwide network of child pornographers, leading to the prosecution of multiple offenders, including McCormack. To date, more than 140 children have been rescued and 43 perpetrators arrested worldwide as a result of this case.

This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 12,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2014, more than 2,300 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page. HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.