Man Indicted on Sex Assault Against Minor

A federal grand jury in Hawai‘i on Thursday indicted a Washington man for aggravated sexual abuse of a minor under the age of 12.

Shawn M. Wilcher, 37, of Tacoma, has been accused of committing the abuse at Hickam Air Force Base, which is within federal jurisdiction in the District of Hawai‘i. Wilcher lived on this military base between 2015 and 2018 when he committed the offense, according to a release from US Attorney’s Office. Wilcher was previously charged federally in the Western District of Washington for related offenses against the same minor.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. If convicted of the charges, Wilcher faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years in prison.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney Morgan Early.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by US Attorney’s Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.