Former Preschool Teacher's Assistant Sentenced To 90 Years In Federal Prison For Producing Child Pornography

      LITTLE ROCK— Augustus “Gus” Shenker, 23, of Little Rock was sentenced to serve the next 90 years in federal prison for production of child pornography. Shenker was sentenced earlier today by United States District Judge Lee P. Rudofsky.

      In May 2021, FBI received a cyber tip that Dropbox user Augustus Shenker, using an email address that contained his name, possessed seven videos containing child pornography. Investigators determined Shenker’s address and learned that he was employed at Miss Selma’s School in Little Rock, an early education school with children from 18 months old to fifth grade.

      FBI agents obtained a search warrant for Shenker’s home and made contact with him at the school where he worked. Law enforcement seized Shenker’s iPhone and advised him a search warrant was being executed at his residence.

      A review of items seized from Shenker’s residence revealed six videos created in March 2021 that showed Shenker touching the buttocks and vagina of a preschool-age child in a classroom at Miss Selma’s School. His iPhone contained a hidden folder with 19 additional videos, all of which were taken in the same preschool classroom where Shenker worked. Shenker’s face is visible in several of the videos. In addition to the videos of abuse that Shenker produced himself, law enforcement located more than a thousand images of child sexual abuse on Shenker’s phone and other devices. Shenker later admitted making the videos of the preschool-age children during nap time.

      Shenker was first charged in a criminal complaint on May 18, 2021, when the FBI received the initial cyber tip. On June 1, 2021, after the discovery of the videos on his phone, a federal grand jury returned an indictment, charging Shenker with 22 counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. Shenker pleaded guilty to three counts of production of child pornography in December 2022. Judge Rudofsky sentenced Shenker to the maximum of 30 years on each count, to run consecutively, for a total of 90 years. In addition to the 90-year prison term, Shenker was sentenced to life of supervised release following imprisonment.  There is no parole in the federal system.  

      “We are grateful that Judge Rudofsky imposed the maximum sentence allowed by the law against Mr. Shenker,” said United States Attorney Jonathan D. Ross. “This sentence ensures that Mr. Shenker will spend the rest of his life in prison, which means he will never harm another child.  In the Eastern District of Arkansas, we will not waste time empathizing with adults who have a sexual interest in children, but rather resolve to fully investigate and prosecute each and every child predator. Our office, the FBI, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children will maintain our commitment to make sure that every criminal that harms and exploits children will be brought to justice.”

      “As an educator, Mr. Shenker was entrusted to support and protect our children,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge James A. Dawson. “Instead, he chose to exploit and manipulate the very children he was hired to teach. Today’s sentence ensures he will never again victimize our community. FBI Little Rock will continue to utilize all resources to protect innocent youth from predators who seek to harm them.”

      The investigation was conducted by the FBI Little Rock Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kristin Bryant.

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This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the

United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at

https://www.justice.gov/edar

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