Federal prison ordered for Michigan orthodontist over online exploitation of children

A West Michigan man has been sentenced to 60 years in federal prison over sexual exploitation of children, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan said. 

Thomas Shannon, 44, previously of Byron Center, was sentenced Monday on the case pending in the federal court in Grand Rapids. Shannon was working as an orthodontist in Grandville, near Grand Rapids, when the investigation began, prosecutors said. 

"Shannon's selfish and senseless exploitation of these children has exposed them to a lifetime of emotional damage. I sincerely hope they can overcome it. But preying on our children must stop, and we will seek long sentences against people like Shannon until it does stop," U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey said. 

The investigation that led to the conviction involved at least 18 victims, ranging in age from 12 to 17, in a series of online activities. Police discovered Shannon's involvement after a 16-year-old girl from North Carolina reported to authorities that she had been sexually exploited via Snapchat, according to a criminal complaint filed in August 2025. 

A yacht that he owned in Ottawa County was forfeited as part of the criminal proceedings, authorities said. 

Agencies that assisted on the case included Homeland Security Investigations, Kent County Sheriff's Office, Fuquay-Varina Police Department in North Carolina and Prince George's County Police Department in Maryland. The investigation was also supported by Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative through the U.S. Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.