Indictment and sentencing Edit
On September 5, 2017, a federal grand jury indicted Shortey on four federal sex trafficking and child pornography charges, involving both the March incident and videos that Shortey was accused of distributing from his smartphone in 2012 and 2013. Shortey pleaded not guilty to these charges.[25] After the federal charges were announced, the Cleveland County district attorney dropped the state charges.[26] A federal jury trial had been scheduled for December 2017. On November 19, 2017, Shortey reached an agreement to plead guilty on November 30 to one count of child sex trafficking; the prosecutor agreed to have the child pornography counts removed.[27] Shortey was jailed immediately after pleading guilty on November 30 and faced a sentence of at least 10 years in prison, with Judge Timothy D. DeGiusti to decide in 2018.[27][28] In early December 2017, police released their video of Shortey's arrest at a motel where he was found with a 17-year-old male prostitute.[29] In June 2018, prosecutors revealed in a sentencing memorandum that Shortey had sex twice with the victim in the year before they were found together at the hotel. Prosecutors also informed the judge that they would seek full restitution from Shortey for the victim's losses, including the cost of any care. Shortey's lawyer said it would not yet be appropriate to comment.[7]
Jailed since his guilty plea, Shortey was sentenced in Oklahoma City federal court on September 17, 2018, to a total of 15 years in prison, and 10 years of supervised release.[30][31] In sentencing testimony, Shortey apologized to his family, fellow Christians, and his constituents.[32] His attorney, who said the sentence was fair, requested that Shortey serve it at a facility in Texas with a sex offender rehab program; the Bureau of Prisons placed Shortey at the Federal Correctional Institution, Seagoville in Seagoville, Texas.[3][32][33] In February 2019, U.S. District Judge DeGiusti imposed a restitution fine on Shortey of $125,850, about half of the maximum amount.[34][35]
