A federal judge sentenced 31-year-old Charlotte resident Terrell Shawn Anderson to 15 years in prison followed by 30 years of supervised release on Wednesday for distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material. U.S. District Judge Susan C. Rodriguez handed down the sentence after Anderson pleaded guilty to federal counts involving CSAM depicting prepubescent children under 12 years old.
According to the U.S. Attorney WDNC, Judge Rodriguez also ordered Anderson to pay $3,000 in restitution, along with a $5,000 special assessment under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 and $15,000 in special assessments under the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018 — roughly $23,000 in total financial penalties tied to federal victim-protection statutes. The $5,000 assessment stems from 18 U.S.C. § 3014, which, per Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute, mandates the fee on non-indigent defendants convicted of federal child sexual exploitation offenses to support the Domestic Trafficking Victims' Fund. The larger $15,000 assessment traces back to 18 U.S.C. § 2259A, established by the 2018 Amy, Vicky, and Andy Act, which authorizes assessments up to $35,000 for child pornography trafficking to fund the Child Pornography Victims Reserve Fund, according to Johnson/Citronberg PLLC.
Snapchat user sentenced to 15 years in prison for distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material.
— U.S. Attorney WDNC (@USAO_WDNC) August 12, 2026
w/ @FBICharlotte @SBI1937 @CMPD
Read more at: https://t.co/e9PsTZ7JFg pic.twitter.com/sBqUI5RBNk
How the Case Against Anderson Unfolded
The case traces back to an October 2022 search warrant executed at Anderson's residence, during which federal agents seized two cellphones that forensically yielded child sexual abuse material. In a law enforcement interview that followed, the release notes, Anderson admitted operating at least 13 Snapchat accounts and estimated he had communicated with roughly 45 minor females in an effort to solicit nude images.
Federal authorities eventually arrested Anderson in Atlanta as part of Operation Restore Justice, a nationwide FBI-led crackdown announced in May 2025 that led to the arrest of 205 child sex abuse suspects nationwide, including six in North Carolina. U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson worked jointly with the FBI during that multi-agency operation before Anderson's case moved through the Western District of North Carolina courts.
Prosecutor Calls Case a Warning for Parents
Russ Ferguson, the United States Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, framed the sentencing as both a warning and a reminder of the risks embedded in everyday apps. “Social media helps people stay connected, but it can also become a place where children are victimized,” Ferguson said. “We will remain vigilant in prosecuting these cases, but we also hope this case serves as a cautionary tale for parents to monitor their children's social media use.”
FBI Charlotte, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department were all involved in the case, which was prosecuted under Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative launched in May 2006. The program links the U.S. Attorney's Office with FBI Charlotte, the NC SBI, and CMPD, combining investigative resources from regional Internet Crimes Against Children task forces with federal prosecutors.
Part of a Larger National Surge
Anderson's admission that he used more than a dozen Snapchat accounts to target dozens of minors fits into a broader national pattern. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's CyberTipline received 20.5 million reports containing nearly 63 million files related to online child sexual exploitation in 2024, according to Thorn. Within that total, NCMEC logged more than 546,000 CyberTipline reports specifically involving the online enticement of children in 2024 — a 192% jump compared to 2023, per a report from Safe Online.
Anderson's sentencing also lands amid a string of similar federal prosecutions in the Charlotte area. In February, federal prosecutors in Charlotte secured a 30-year prison sentence against Rusty Joseph Whittaker, a Texas man convicted after a four-day trial for meeting a local minor on anonymous chat apps before continuing communications on Snapchat, as Hoodline previously reported. Together, the cases point to sustained federal attention on Snapchat-facilitated exploitation within the Western District of North Carolina.
