UPDATE:
In Sept. 2017, Shawn Shannon was sentenced to 720 months in jail. Two counts against him were dismissed upon a motion from the government.
ORIGINAL STORY:
A 44-year-old traveling gospel singer was found guilty by a jury of 19 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of distribution of child pornography.
Shawn Shannon, of Muncie, Indiana, was arrested on April 15, 2015, and convicted yesterday following a three-day trial.
Shannon lured a 13-year-old boy to a hotel in Decatur, Illinois, and took several sexually explicit photos of the juvenile. Shannon also engaged in sexual contact with another minor boy and took similar photographs.
Shannon is a member of The Shannons, a family gospel group based out of Muncie. According to the family’s website, Shawn started a booking and promotion agency, S&B Promotions, in 2011.
Shannon will be sentenced on Jan. 9, 2017.
