Cross Lanes Pedophile Sentenced To 20 Years In Federal Prison

CHARLESTON, W.Va. –   United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that Shawn Lee McMullen, 37, of Cross Lanes, W.Va., was sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment followed by 25 years of supervised release for possession of child pornography. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr., in Charleston.

McMullen admitted that he took sexually explicit photographs of two children under the age of 13 at his residence in Cross Lanes in early May 2013. McMullen left the images on the cell phone he used to photograph the children.

“This defendant’s crimes are sickening,” said U.S. Attorney Goodwin. “Monsters like this to be punished severely, and that’s exactly what the judge did. Today’s sentence is a victory for justice and for the safety of our children.”

The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada handled the prosecution. 

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/wvs/PSCpage.html.