Former Memphis Basketball Coach Sentenced to 12 Years for Exploiting Minor
GREENVILLE, Miss. — A former Memphis basketball coach has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison after admitting to transporting a minor across state lines for sex and later stalking the victim as an adult.
Andreus Shannon, 44, was convicted of traveling in interstate commerce to engage in illicit sexual activity with a minor under 16 and cyberstalking. According to court records, Shannon posed as a coach for a homeschool basketball association, using his role to gain the trust of a player and her parents.
Prosecutors said Shannon sexually exploited the girl for years in Mississippi and Tennessee, taking advantage of his position to abuse her at his home, rental property, and gyms. When the victim turned 18 and attempted to end the relationship, Shannon began cyberstalking her, threatening to release explicit images in order to extort her into continuing contact. The harassment lasted two years.
Chief U.S. District Judge Debra M. Brown sentenced Shannon to 144 months in prison and five years of supervised release. He was also given a concurrent 60-month sentence for cyberstalking. Shannon will be required to register as a sex offender in any jurisdiction where he lives, works, or studies.
“The defendant’s crimes represented a truly reprehensible betrayal of trust, and he is now in prison where he belongs,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “The work by AUSA Parker King, the FBI, the Memphis Police Department, and especially the Olive Branch Police Department was truly outstanding.”
Robert Eikhoff, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Jackson Field Office, added: “Shannon callously undermined the trust of unsuspecting parents, preying on a minor for years. His deliberate actions in targeting the innocence of our youth will not be tolerated.”
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Memphis Police Department, the Olive Branch Police Department, and the Oxford Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Parker S. King prosecuted the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative aimed at combating child exploitation and abuse.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
