KS man accused of recording himself molesting foster brother, then sharing images online
A Kansas man photographed and filmed himself sexually abusing his young foster brother then uploaded the illegal, explicit images to the Internet — causing them to be “so widely distributed” that authorities in Europe discovered them, according to a document filed in the man’s federal child pornography case.
The boy molested was between 4 and 6 years old when Jameson E. Shaughnessy produced and distributed the images, court records allege.
The 20-year-old college student on Wednesday was charged through a grand jury indictment with one count of sexual exploitation of a minor - production of child pornography, according to an email from the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas. He had previously been charged by complaint.
A May 20 detention order signed by U.S. Magistrate Judge Rachel E. Schwartz summarizes Shaughnessy’s alleged crime: The boy, while in foster care, was living with Shaughnessy’s parents. Shaughnessy, who lived in the same home, is accused of abusing the child “for his own enjoyment, filmed that abuse for his own enjoyment and then distributed that child pornography to others for their enjoyment.” The crime he’s charged with occurred on or about Nov. 18, 2020.
“These images and videos were so widely distributed that they were originally found on the internet by European authorities,” according to the order.
The boy’s sexual assault apparently was not Shaughnessy’s first involving a minor; the detention order says he molested another young foster sibling in his parents’ care on an earlier occasion or occasions.
Shaughnessy was confronted about that child’s alleged abuse but “that confrontation did not stop his conduct,” the order says.
“Instead, his conduct appears to be expanding to include both the abuse of minors and the filming and distribution of depictions of that abuse,” the order says, adding that Shaughnessy preyed on “especially vulnerable children who are part of the state’s foster care system.”
The order also notes that Shaughnessy has “significant mental-health challenges,” including depression, a history of suicidal ideation that includes at least two hospitalizations and as many as 200 suicide attempts.
Authorities arrested him in Salina on May 13 after the abuse images surfaced, court records show.
Shaughnessy’s next court date is scheduled for May 31 in the federal courthouse in Topeka.
This story was originally published May 27, 2022 at 11:15 AM.
