WA man sentenced 15 years for child sex abuse in Europe

SEATTLE - A 23-year-old Puyallup man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for production and possession of child pornography.

Shawn Stone was arrested at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Aug. 2022, after landing on a plane from Amsterdam. The FBI identified Stone as a suspect of online child sex abuse that summer, and according to court records, Stone admitted to investigators that he sexually molested children during a trip to Germany in 2019, when he was around 19 years old.

Stone filmed that sex abuse, took photos and distributed them online. He also admitted to downloading and sharing images of "very young children" being raped and tortured.

Stone pleaded guilty to his charges in Jan. 2024. After his 15-year sentence, Stone will be on 25 years of supervised release and will be required to register as a sex offender.

"The damage to young children doesn’t stop, it goes on a lifetime," said U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones. "Their pain continues and their suffering continues."

The court says more than 20 victims have filed claims in this case, and Judge Jones will determine the amount of restitution Stone must pay back at a later date.