CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Charleston man was sentenced today to 25 years in prison, to be followed by supervised release for the rest of his life, for producing child pornography. Brian Wayne Shaffer, 51, must also register as a sex offender.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Shaffer admitted that he used his cell phone to photograph the genitalia of a prepubescent female minor with whom he was living in August 2021. Shaffer further admitted that he used his cell phone to upload the nude photo of the prepubescent female minor and sent it to another individual who Shaffer had been communicating with on YouTube. Shaffer admitted he uploaded the photograph using his Gmail address on or about August 24, 2021. At the time Shaffer produced child pornography of the prepubescent female minor, he previously had been convicted of first-degree sexual assault of another prepubescent female minor in Kanawha County Circuit Court on March 2, 2001.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the West Virginia State Police, and the West Virginia State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Kristin F. Scott prosecuted the case.
This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s 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 those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-195.
###