Austin Man Charged After Targeting Hundreds Of Minors Online

(KNSI) – An Austin man has been arraigned on an indictment charging him with multiple offenses related to child pornography and commission of a felony offense involving a minor while required to register as a sex offender.

28-year-old Shadow Hawk Mallan has been charged with three counts of production of child pornography, one count of interstate communications with intent to extort, one count of receipt of child pornography, one count of possession of child pornography and one count of commission of a felony offense involving a minor while required to register as a sex offender.

According to state and federal court documents, Mallan owned multiple social media and email accounts that he used to solicit minor victims worldwide. He reportedly used these accounts to receive sexually explicit photographs and videos from the victims and engaged in live video chats. Mallan also threatened victims with violence and to distribute the recorded material to their families if they stopped sending him material.

Mallan’s actions spanned several years and involved hundreds of minors online, with law enforcement identifying 13 of them. He was previously convicted of solicitation of a child to engage in sexual conduct in 2020 in Mower County. As a result of that conviction, Mallan was required to register as a predatory offender throughout the period of his offense.

Mallan made his initial appearance in federal district court and was ordered detained pending trial.

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