Chicago man sentenced to 37 years for sexually exploiting nearly 100 children on Snapchat: prosecutors

CHICAGO - A Chicago man was sentenced to 37 years in prison for sexually exploiting nearly 100 children he contacted on Snapchat, prosecutors said.

What we know:

Shaun Healy, 45, used Snapchat in 2022 to contact and persuade young girls to create and send him sexually explicit images and videos of themselves, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Pictured is Shaun Healy, 45.

Healy reportedly posed as a young girl to gain the trust of his victims. Prosecutors said he provided graphic, step-by-step instructions, including the type of explicit conduct they should record and send to him.

According to the attorney’s office, Healy threatened to publish the images and videos if the victims did not produce and send more material.

He was arrested in December 2022 at his home in Elburn. Law enforcement officers searched his phone and found a password-protected album containing dozens of folders of children he contacted through Snapchat, the attorney’s office said.

Each folder included the child’s Snapchat username, image and a catalog of sexually explicit videos and images.

Healy pleaded guilty last year to child exploitation charges. A federal judge imposed the 27-year sentence during a Feb. 12 hearing in federal court in Chicago, prosecutors said.

What they're saying:

"Defendant is a child predator," Assistant U.S. Attorneys Saqib Mohammad Hussain and Elly Moheb argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum.  "And not just a child predator, but one who ruthlessly sexually exploited young girls and prided himself on it.  What defendant made these children do will affect them for the rest of their lives in ways that we cannot appreciate."

What you can do:

Anyone who believes they are a victim of sexual exploitation is encouraged to contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 or visit its website.