Washington man charged with aggravated sexual abuse of a minor under age 12

HONOLULU, Hawaii – Shawn M. Wilcher, 37, of Tacoma, Washington, was indicted by a federal grand jury today with aggravated sexual abuse of a minor under the age of 12 in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2241(c). The abuse occurred at Hickam Air Force Base, which is within federal jurisdiction in the District of Hawaii. Wilcher lived on this military base between 2015 and 2018 when he committed the offense. He was previously charged federally in the Western District of Washington for related offenses against the same minor. Kenji M. Price, U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii, made the announcement.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. If convicted of the charges, Wilcher faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years in prison.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Morgan Early.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and CEOS, 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 to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.