A Clinton man who recently moved to town is now at the center of a federal child exploitation case, with prosecutors accusing him of producing, receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material across ten felony counts.
Shannon Theodore Green, 59, who listed a Clinton address, was served with a federal arrest warrant and is being held in federal custody, local authorities said. The case grew out of a joint investigation involving the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI’s Charlotte Field Office.
According to reporting from the Sampson Independent, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina secured the indictment after a roughly five-month investigation that began with a report in early September 2025. Detectives located what they identified as child sexual assault material on electronic devices in Green’s possession, the outlet reported, which led them to call in the FBI.
The federal indictment, as described by the Sampson Independent, charges Green with six counts of production of child pornography, two counts of receipt, one count of possession and one count of transportation.
"The Sampson County Sheriff's Office is grateful for the powerful support and partnership with federal agencies," Capt. Marcus Smith said in a statement summarized by the Sampson Independent. The outlet reported that Green moved to the Clinton area from New York about three months before his arrest and had previously been convicted in New York of a sex offense involving a minor.
Authorities say he was taken into custody on a warrant issued following the federal indictment and is being held by the U.S. Marshals Service.
Investigation and timeline
Local detectives, working with the Sampson County Department of Social Services, first handled the allegation at the state level, according to officials. After they said they established probable cause, the case was elevated to federal partners.
Once the FBI’s Charlotte Field Office joined the probe, agents and task force officers carried out digital forensic work on the devices that investigators say contained abusive material. Officials have not released information about any alleged victims. In cases involving minors, prosecutors commonly keep those details under seal while charges are pending in order to protect children’s identities.
Legal implications
Federal law treats these offenses as some of the most serious in the criminal code, particularly when it comes to production of child sexual abuse material and the receipt or transportation of such content. Prior convictions can significantly increase the sentencing exposure a defendant faces.
As outlined by the Congressional Research Service, the PROTECT Act increased mandatory minimum sentences for production-related crimes. The U.S. Sentencing Commission explains how those statutory floors interact with the federal sentencing guidelines that judges consult at sentencing.
Under 18 U.S.C. § 2252A, receipt or transportation counts can carry a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of up to 20 years for first-time offenders. The ranges are higher for people with prior qualifying convictions or other aggravating factors.
What’s next
Because the indictment was filed in the Eastern District of North Carolina, Green is expected to appear in that federal district for an initial appearance and arraignment, where he will be formally advised of the charges. Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office typically handle these cases in coordination with federal task forces.
Investigations of this type are often pursued under the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative, which brings together federal, state and local agencies to target child exploitation crimes, according to recent Department of Justice reporting. The indictment is a formal accusation, and Green is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty in court.
Authorities are asking anyone with information about the case to contact the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office or the FBI’s Charlotte Field Office. Reports of suspected child sexual exploitation can also be submitted to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline at report.cybertip.org. Local officials have urged residents not to circulate unverified details that could interfere with the ongoing investigation.
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