Federal jury convicts Colorado man of kidnapping a toddler and producing child pornography
FRESNO, Calif. — A federal jury convicted a Colorado man Friday of kidnapping and producing child pornography involving two toddlers, the result of a far-reaching investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Shawn McCormack, 31, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, was found guilty of four counts of sexual exploitation of a child and two counts of kidnapping.
According to evidence presented at trial, McCormack traveled to Bakersfield on multiple occasions and stayed overnight with a couple he had pretended to befriend. During several of those overnight stays, McCormack snuck the couple’s toddler out of the house in the middle of the night and recorded his sexual abuse of the child at a nearby motel, outdoors and in his truck. McCormack then returned the toddler to the house before the parents awoke. The evidence demonstrated McCormack distributed the images and videos of his abuse to others online, including to an undercover officer with Toronto Police Services.
HSI special agents in Boston found images and recordings distributed by McCormack on the computer of another defendant in Massachusetts, and were able to identify the date, time and hotel where one of the videos had been produced. When agents visited the hotel, they learned McCormack had rented a room at the hotel on the night the recording was created. During the investigation, agents uncovered evidence McCormack had recorded himself abusing both of the couple’s children.
“Determined, skillful and cooperative investigative efforts by multiple agencies across the continent led law enforcement to this defendant’s door,” said U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner of the Eastern District of California. “We are gratified by today’s verdict, which we hope will provide a measure of justice to the victims, and serve as a warning to those who would seek to harm the most vulnerable among us.”
“Child pornography, when it’s released on the Internet, lives on forever,” said Michael Toms, resident agent in charge for HSI Bakersfield. “It haunts the innocent children whose abuse is depicted in the images, and brings unspeakable pain to their parents and families, knowing that untold strangers are exploiting their worst experiences for their own perverse pleasure. HSI will continue to work closely with its law enforcement partners across the country and around the globe to ensure that those who sexually exploit our children are brought to justice.”
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 2,000 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative.
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. 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.
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