Southern Minnesota man sought child sexual abuse material from hundreds of minors, feds say
Federal charges accuse a southern Minnesota man of using social media and other online avenues to solicit child sexual abuse material from hundreds of minors all over the world.
Prosecutors say they have identified 13 alleged victims of Shadow Hawk Mallan, a 28-year-old from Austin, Minnesota, but they believe there may be more.
The U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota alleges Mallan used Snapchat, Discord, other social media channels, email and live video chat to coerce children into sending him sexually explicit pictures and videos. If they refused to send more, Mallan would threaten to give the images to the victims' friends and families, prosecutors said.
The attorney's office said "evidence shows that Mallan solicited hundreds of minors online over several years."
"As alleged in this indictment, Shadow Hawk Mallan was a registered sex offender who used the worldwide reach of the Internet to continue sexually exploiting children, even after a prior conviction," FBI Minneapolis Field Office Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dotson said.
Mallan is charged with three counts of production of child pornography, one count of interstate communications with intent to extort, one count of receipt of child pornography, one count of possession of child pornography and one count of commission of a felony offense involving a minor when required to register as a sex offender.
Federal authorities said Mallan was convicted of a child sex crime in 2020 and required to register as a predatory offender. He has been ordered to remain detained until his trial.
Investigators are asking anyone who believes they are or know an additional victim to contact the FBI by calling 800-CALL-FBI or reporting the crime online. Authorities say Mallan used the Snapchat ID "ps4programer420" and the Discord username "kushklouds420," in addition to other accounts.
If you know of a child who may have been a victim of exploitation, call the National Center for Missing or Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 or visit the website.
To report concerns about child abuse, neglect or sexual abuse, the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families recommends contacting the county or Tribal Nation where the child lives. You can find a list of Minnesota's county and tribal child protection agencies by clicking here. If there is an immediate concern of harm to the child, the agency recommends calling 911.
