San Antonio Man Charged with Transporting a Minor Living in Boston to Texas to Engage in Sexual Relations

A federal judge today unsealed a criminal complaint charging 48–year-old San Antonio resident Shannon Kuchler with driving to Boston to pick up a minor he met on the “Dark Web” and transport her to San Antonio in order to engage in sexual relations, announced U.S. Attorney John F. Bash and FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs, San Antonio Division.   

The criminal complaint charges Kuchler with transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.  According to the criminal complaint, the defendant met his 16-year-old victim on the “Dark Web” in 2019.  In December 2019, Kuchler traveled to Boston, picked up his victim and transported her to San Antonio.  On several occasions during the trip to Texas, Kuchler engaged in sexual intercourse with his victim.  After arriving in San Antonio, the complaint alleges that Kuchler sexually assaulted the victim on two occasions and forced her to engage in oral sex.

The U.S. Marshals Service arrested Kuchler at his residence yesterday.  Kuchler remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing at 9:30am on June 23, 2020, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry Bemporad in San Antonio.

The FBI’s San Antonio Crimes Against Children Task Force, San Antonio Police Department, Boston Police Department and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office in Boston investigated this case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Bettina Richardson is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

A criminal complaint is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt.  The defendant is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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.

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The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice.  Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.