Basketball coach lured underage player into sex acts, then cyberstalked her, feds say
A Tennessee basketball coach has been arrested after federal prosecutors in Mississippi said he took an underage player across state lines to engage in sex acts.
The FBI arrested 41-year-old Andreus Shannon at his job in Dickson, Tennessee, on Jan. 28, court documents show.
Shannon is accused of transporting a minor female between Mississippi and Tennessee for sex acts and cyberstalking her after she became an adult, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi said in a news release on Feb. 15. He was extradited to Mississippi after his arrest and had his first court appearance on Valentine’s Day.
A judge released Shannon on a $5,000 bond and placed him on home confinement with electronic monitoring.
His defense attorney did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on Feb. 16.
Shannon was charged in a criminal complaint on Jan. 25 with enticement of a minor, transporting a minor for illicit sexual purposes, violations of the Mann Act, sextortion and cyberstalking. The affidavit filed in support of the charges is sealed, and prosecutors have released few details regarding the investigation.
But in a bid for his release from jail, Shannon’s lawyer told the court the victim is now a 25-year-old woman.
“Most of the allegations stem from conduct that is alleged to have taken place over 10 years ago, beginning in 2011 and continuing until 2019,” his attorney said. “The Affidavit in this case sets forth alleged communications and acts involving Mr. Shannon and the alleged victim beginning in late 2011.”
He said Shannon has not been in contact with the victim or her family in almost three years.
Prosecutors did not say where Shannon was coaching when the allegations took place, and Shannon’s attorney told the court he has “worked as a coach with a number of high schools.”
Shannon has lived in Tennessee his entire adult life and recently moved to Thompson’s Station, a small town outside of Nashville, to work as a cost analyst at Nemak in nearby Dickson, his lawyer said. He was reportedly arrested at his place of work in front of several co-workers.
His lawyer urged the court to release Shannon from custody, citing numerous family members in the area to help ensure he returns to court as well as his lack of a criminal record.
“While the allegations of the Affidavit are certainly concerning, Mr. Shannon is presumed innocent and there is no evidence to suggest Mr. Shannon is either a danger or a flight risk,” Shannon’s attorney said.
Shannon will be under supervision by the U.S. Probation Service while the case proceeds, court documents show, and he had to surrender his passport upon his release. The judge also restricted his travel to Western Tennessee and Northern Mississippi, barred him from leaving home except for medical needs and court appearances and ordered him to cover the cost of his location monitoring.
Prosecutors asked anyone with information concerning the investigation to call the FBI at 601-948-5000.
This story was originally published February 16, 2022 at 1:46 PM with the headline "Basketball coach lured underage player into sex acts, then cyberstalked her, feds say."
