Grandville orthodontist facing federal child exploitation charges
Thomas Shannon, 43, was arrested in Frankfort, Michigan, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Michigan announced Wednesday. He is charged by criminal complaint with sexual exploitation of a minor, attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, possession of child pornography, receipt of child pornography and attempted receipt of child pornography, according to the attorney's office.
According to a criminal complaint filed in federal court Monday, a therapist reported in 2021 that a teenager had been sexually exploited. The victim told police that she had received money in exchange for sending illicit images, the complaint continues, and investigators traced the Snapchat and CashApp accounts to Shannon, who lived in Byron Township.
Sex offender, busted in sting but not arrested, snagged again
In 2022, amid a Kent County investigation, the complaint says Shannon hired a private forensic investigator to search his phone 'in an attempt to prove that he did not possess any child pornography.'
'The examiner, however, found child pornography and turned it over to police,' the U.S. Attorney's Office wrote in a release.
Authorities found evidence that Shannon possessed and received child pornography, according to the complaint. Investigators found that Shannon had communicated with multiple minor victims whom he met online, the complaint alleges. One was just 12 years old. The complaint placed most of the victims out of state.
Shannon was in January 2023. But according to the federal complaint, he was released on bond. Investigators found that he was on bond for those charges while communicating with one victim — a 13-year-old — in 2024, the complaint alleges.
The state case against Shannon is pending. A status conference in that case has been set for early October.
In the federal case, a detention hearing is scheduled for Friday.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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