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GRAND RAPIDS (WOOD-AM) - An orthodontist who used to practice in Grandville is facing federal child exploitation and child pornography charges.
A criminal complaint filed in federal court says a therapist reported a teenager had been sexually exploited in 2021.
She also told police she had received money for sending explicit images on a social media platform.
Accounts and transactions were later linked to 43-year-old Thomas Shannon.
Authorities found evidence that Shannon possessed and received child pornography, according to a criminal complaint.
Investigators found that Shannon had communicated with multiple minor victims whom he met online, including one victim who was 12 years old.
Shannon hired a forensic investigator in 2022 to search his phone as part of an effort to clear his name, but federal prosecutors say child pornography was discovered and the device was given to police.
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