A former Omaha Boy Scout scoutmaster was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison Friday after pleading guilty to attempted child enticement.
John Shores, 54, will also serve a term of 20 years of supervised release after his time in prison.
Shores in federal court in May to one count of attempted child enticement. In exchange for his guilty plea, prosecutors dismissed six additional felony charges of attempted child enticement, attempted sexual exploitation of a minor and distribution of child pornography.
Before he was sentenced, Shores filed a motion to retract his guilty plea against the advice of his attorney. The motion was denied by Judge Robert F. Rossiter.
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Shores was indicted in August 2023 after prosecutors said he “aggressively†pursued a sexual relationship with an undercover officer posing as a 13-year-old girl online.
After his arrest, Shores was released from custody on pretrial release. But two weeks after his initial appearance, prosecutors filed a motion to detain Shores after a preliminary review of his cellphones revealed new evidence.
“Defendant’s phones show multiple attempts to meet minors for sex, including a conversation with a person who repeatedly indicates that she is 11 years old,†the government’s motion to reconsider detention read. “In addition to pressuring minors to meet for the purpose of sex, defendant asks the 11-year-old to send images of herself and offers money to the 14-year-old and 16-year-old in exchange for sex.â€
Shores was detained again following the new information and has remained in custody since August 2023. In November, a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment against Shores charging him with six additional felonies.
In his plea agreement, Shores admitted to engaging in an online conversation with the undercover officer posing as a 13-year-old girl. Throughout their conversations, according to the agreement, he asked the girl to send sexually explicit photos and sent explicit photos of himself.
Shores’ attorney argued he should receive a lesser sentence as he had no previous criminal record and would not be a threat to society after his release due to his age.
The prosecution argued Shores acted as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing†who used his position in the community to gain trust while seeking out minors for sex.
Rossiter described Shores’ actions as “unfathomable.â€