Chicago Man Sentenced to 37 Years for Exploiting Nearly 100 Children on Snapchat

Prosecutors say the 45-year-old posed as a young girl to coerce victims into sending explicit images and videos.

Published on Feb. 22, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A 45-year-old Chicago man was sentenced to 37 years in prison for sexually exploiting nearly 100 children he contacted on Snapchat. Prosecutors said he posed as a young girl, coerced victims into sending explicit images and videos, and threatened to publish them if they refused to send more. Authorities found dozens of folders of explicit material on his phone after his December 2022 arrest; he pleaded guilty last year.

Why it matters

This case highlights the ongoing threat of online child exploitation and the need for greater education and awareness around the dangers of social media platforms like Snapchat. It also underscores the importance of robust law enforcement efforts to identify and prosecute these types of predators.

The details

Shaun Healy, 45, used Snapchat in 2022 to contact and persuade young girls to create and send him sexually explicit images and videos of themselves. Healy reportedly posed as a young girl to gain the trust of his victims and provided graphic, step-by-step instructions on the type of explicit conduct they should record and send to him. Prosecutors said Healy threatened to publish the images and videos if the victims did not produce and send more material. He was arrested in December 2022 at his home in Elburn, and law enforcement officers found a password-protected album on his phone containing dozens of folders of children he had contacted through Snapchat, each with the child's Snapchat username, image, and a catalog of sexually explicit videos and images.

  • Healy was arrested in December 2022.
  • Healy pleaded guilty last year.

The players

Shaun Healy

A 45-year-old Chicago man who was sentenced to 37 years in prison for sexually exploiting nearly 100 children he contacted on Snapchat.

U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois

The federal prosecutors who handled the case against Healy.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“Defendant is a child predator. And not just a child predator, but one who ruthlessly sexually exploited young girls and prided himself on it. What defendant made these children do will affect them for the rest of their lives in ways that we cannot appreciate.”

— Assistant U.S. Attorneys Saqib Mohammad Hussain and Elly Moheb (U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Shaun Healy out on bail.

The takeaway

This case highlights the ongoing threat of online child exploitation and the need for greater education and awareness around the dangers of social media platforms like Snapchat. It also underscores the importance of robust law enforcement efforts to identify and prosecute these types of predators in order to protect vulnerable children.