A 34-year-old man from Orange County is facing 25 years to life in prison after his arrest last week for reportedly using the social media platform Reddit to solicit sex with what he thought was a 13-year-old girl, but was in fact an undercover law enforcement officer, authorities announced earlier this month.
In January and February 2023, San Juan Capistrano resident Shaw Warrington attempted to use Reddit to solicit sex from minors in Orange County, according to an indictment unsealed on May 23, 2024.
“An undercover law enforcement official responded to Warrington’s requests and eventually scheduled a meeting at a Newport Beach shopping center, where Warrington believed he would engage in criminal sexual activity,” a news release from U.S. Attorney’s Central District of California Office stated.
The 34-year-old was arrested after appearing at the meeting and a search of his cellphone allegedly revealed two images of child sexual abuse material.
During a search of his residence, investigators recovered a firearm and more than 350 rounds of ammunition, authorities said. Warrington, convicted in 2013 for meeting a minor intending to engage in lewd behavior, is not legally permitted to possess a gun or ammunition.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged the 34-year-old with:
- one count of attempted enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity
- one count of attempted production of child pornography
- one count of commission of a felony offense involving a minor while required to register as a sex offender
- one count of possession of child pornography
- one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition
During his arraignment in the U.S. District Court in Santa Ana, Warrington pleaded not guilty to all charges. He is being held without bail.
A trial date has been set for July 16.
If convicted on all charges, Warrington faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years – 15 years for attempted production of child pornography and a 10-year mandatory consecutive sentence for commission of a felony involving a minor while required to register as a sex offender, the release noted.
The statutory maximum sentence he could face is life in federal prison.
Detectives with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Newport Beach Police Department continue to investigate the case.
