A 20-year prison sentence was handed down to Mark Black, a 50-year-old former Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) lawyer from Arlington, Virginia, for conspiring to sexually exploit numerous children online.
Between January 2018 and October 2021, Black was a member of two online groups dedicated to locating prepubescent girls online and convincing them to livestream themselves engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Black and his co-conspirators covertly recorded these livestreams and shared the videos with each other.
In July 2019, Black induced a prepubescent minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct on a live-streaming application while screen-recording that activity. The same month, Black and a co-conspirator groomed another prepubescent minor to engage in sexually explicit acts on a photo and video-sharing application. The co-conspirator surreptitiously shared access to the girl’s live-video feed and recorded the sexual acts before sending them to Black.
Between July 2019 and March 2022, Black and the same co-conspirator were members of two additional groups dedicated to the sexual exploitation of children and the sharing of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). In January 2021, Black sent CSAM of a minor to one of the groups.
Black’s electronic devices were found to contain approximately 172,707 images of suspected CSAM. Of those files, over 1,300 depicted identified victims of his conduct. Black was formerly the Arlington Aquatic Club (AAC) board president.
Black pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy to produce child pornography and coercion and enticement of a minor. The case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office and the FDIC Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG). Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Halper for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorneys McKenzie Hightower, Kaylynn Foulon, and James E. Burke IV of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section prosecuted the case.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department. Individuals who believe they or someone they know may have been victimized by Black are encouraged to contact the FBI at 202-278-2000 and ask to speak to the Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.
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Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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