Memphis Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking

MEMPHIS, TN—Sean McWhirter, 31, of Memphis, Tennessee, pleaded guilty today to one count of transportation of individuals in interstate commerce for the purpose of prostitution, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2421, announced United States Attorney Edward L. Stanton, III. McWhirter is a five-year veteran of the Memphis Police Department who was serving as a patrolman at the time of his arrest.

On September 13, 2012, while on duty and in his patrol car, McWhirter agreed to transport three women to a location in Tunica, Mississippi, for the purpose of prostitution. Subsequently, on September 16, 2012, while off duty, McWhirter delivered two women from Memphis, Tennessee, to a hotel in Tunica. Upon entering the room with the women, McWhirter was arrested by special agents and task force officers of the FBI. McWhirter changed his plea in a court hearing before Judge S. Thomas Anderson today, October 7, 2013.

The penalty for this charge is no more than 10 years in federal prison and a fine of no more than $250,000. McWhirter is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Anderson on January 7, 2014, at 1:30 p.m. There is no parole in the federal prison system.

This crime was investigated by the Tarnished Badge Task Force, which is composed of investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Memphis Police Department, and Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brian K. Coleman on behalf of the government.