On Tuesday, October 24, 2017, it was announced that a Tennessee man had been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for using SnapChat for extortion. 23-year-old Brandon Douglas Shanahan of Sweetwater, Tennessee was sentenced to 30 months by Honorable Pamela L. Reeves. The defendant pleaded guilty to one count of using interstate communications with the intent to extort in November of 2016.
Shanahan used SnapChat to extort women into sending him nude photographs of themselves. After Shanahan entered his guilty plea, authorities discovered that the defendant had engaged in similar, new conduct that could have resulted in a subsequent indictment.
The United States Attorney’s Office agreed to allow the defendant to plead guilty to an additional count in the indictment prior to his sentencing. Again, Brandon Douglas Shanahan has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison.
