Canton Man Pleads Guilty To Sexual Exploitation of Children

Mohsin was joined in the announcement by Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy and Special Agent in Charge Timothy Waters, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Detroit Division.

Shailesh Patel, 53, entered his guilty plea before United States District Judge George Caram Steeh.  A sentencing date has been set for July 20, 2021.

“The sexual assault of children and the production of child pornography are heinous crimes and those who prey upon our children and commit these acts of violence will be vigorously prosecuted and brought to justice,” stated Acting US Attorney Mohsin.  “The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to working with our federal and local law enforcement partners involved with the SEMTEC Task Force to protect children from abuse and exploitation.”

“The women in this case were sexually assaulted for years by Shailesh Patel,” said Prosecutor Worthy. “They were children when the abuse began, and they were courageous to come forward as adults to report this behavior to the authorities. For their sake we are pleased that we were able to reach a global resolution with our state case and the Federal case.”

“It takes great partnerships from local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, to successfully investigate these cases,” said Timothy Waters, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Detroit. “The FBI will continue to work tirelessly to protect the most vulnerable members of our community from harm and exploitation.”

As part of his plea, Patel agreed that in approximately 2010, on at least one occasion, he gave a 10 year old female his cellular phone and instructed her to make a video producing a visual depiction that constituted child pornography.

Patel also pleaded guilty on March 19, 2021 in Wayne County Circuit Court to 15 to 35 years in prison for a first-degree criminal sexual conduct charges, 9 to 15 years for two second-degree criminal sexual conduct charges, and probation for a fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct charge, conduct involving two minor female victims, one of which is the same victim in the federal case.  He is expected to be sentenced in tthe Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office case on May 28, 2021.

The case was the result of a joint investigation by the Canton Police Department and the Southeast Michigan Trafficking and Exploitation Crimes Task Force (“SEMTEC”) of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as a cooperative effort between the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office and the United States Attorney’s Office.