DOJ secures lengthy prison sentence for repeat child pornography offender

A Wilmington man has received a lengthy prison sentence for child pornography offenses. On December 20, Sheldon Lee, 65, was sentenced to 20 years in prison following convictions of 25 counts of Dealing in Child Pornography and 25 counts of Sex Offender Unlawful Sexual Conduct Against a Child. Lee's sentence includes a suspended 325-year prison sentence which can trigger should he violate the terms of his sentence.

Lee's charges represented the first use of an updated statute, sponsored by Rep. Valerie Longhurst and Sen. Nicole Poore and passed unanimously in 2022, that closed a "partial nudity" loophole in Delaware's child sexual abuse material (CSAM) laws. Under prior law, possession of non-nude images of children was not a prosecutable offense. House Bill 428 added possession of images depicting partial child nudity - e.g., victims who were scantily clothed, provocatively posed, etc., but not blatantly nude - to the State's CSAM statute as a Class D Felony.

"These cases are difficult to talk about, but we have to confront them. Our kids' safety is non-negotiable," said Attorney General Kathy Jennings. "I'm grateful to the prosecutors and police who investigated and convicted the defendant and who have now secured this sentence. I'm every bit as grateful to the legislators who worked with us to close loopholes in State law that enabled predators and endangered kids. This common-sense legislation is already making an impact for our community."

In August 2022, the Delaware Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) was notified that Lee, a Tier II Sex Offender, was found to be uploading child erotica to his Dropbox account. At the time, Lee was on Level III probation for prior Dealing in Child Pornography convictions. When arrested on February 23, 2023, Lee was in possession of more than 114,600 images of CSAM. As a result of these convictions, Lee must now register as a Tier III sex offender.

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