Memphis, TN - Sean McWhirter, 31, of Memphis, Tennessee pleaded guilty today to one count
of transportation of individuals in interstate commerce for the purpose of prostitution, in
violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2421, announced United States Attorney Edward L. Stanton III.
McWhirter is a five-year veteran of the Memphis Police Department who was serving as a
patrolman at the time of his arrest.
On Sept. 13, 2012, while on duty and in his patrol car, McWhirter agreed to transport three
women to a location in Tunica, Mississippi, for the purpose of prostitution. Subsequently, on
Sept. 16, 2012, while off duty, McWhirter delivered two women from Memphis,
Tennessee, to a hotel in Tunica. Upon entering the room with the women, McWhirter was
arrested by Special Agents and Task Force Officers of the FBI. McWhirter changed his plea in a
court hearing before Judge S. Thomas Anderson today, October 7, 2013.
The penalty for this charge is no more than 10 years in federal prison and a fine of no more than
$250,000. McWhirter is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Anderson on January 7, 2014 at
1:30 p.m. There is no parole in the federal prison system.
This crime was investigated by the Tarnished Badge Task Force, which is comprised of
investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Memphis Police Department, and Shelby
County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brian
K. Coleman on behalf of the government.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
