Grant County man admits to child pornography charges

ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – Jasper E. Shook, of Petersburg, West Virginia, has admitted to child pornography charges, U.S. Attorney Bill Powell announced.

Shook, age 32, pled guilty on Monday to one count of “Conspiracy to Commit Production Child Pornography,” one count of “Aiding and Abetting Possession of Child Pornography (Depicting a child under the age of 12),” and one count of “Aiding and Abetting Production of Child Pornography.” Shook admitted to working with another to possess and produce images of child pornography that included images of a female under the age of 12 from 2015 to May 2019 in the Northern District of West Virginia and elsewhere.

The maximum penalty for the conspiracy count is up to five years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. The maximum penalty for aiding and abetting possession of an image of child pornography of a child under the age of 12, is up to 20 years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. Finally, the maximum penalty for aiding and abetting the production of child pornography is not less than 15 years and up to 30 years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. 

This case is prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.

Assistants U.S. Attorney Kimberley D. Crockett and Jeffrey A. Finucane are prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The FBI and the West Virginia State Police investigated.

U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.