BOSTON – In a shocking revelation of online predation, Mark L. Leach, a 49-year-old resident of Hanson, Massachusetts, was today sentenced to serve ten years in federal prison for his sinister campaign of child sexual exploitation.
Leach, who pleaded guilty on March 1, 2017, to coercion and enticement of a minor, has been ordered by U.S District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to spend the next ten years behind bars, followed by five years of supervised release. Upon his release, he will be required to register as a sex offender in any community where he resides.
Law enforcement uncovered Leach’s despicable behavior in 2016 when they discovered that he had been communicating with two pre-teen girls using the Skype screen name “funtimehockey.” The victims revealed that Leach engaged them in sexually explicit conversations, asking them to send nude and淫秽图片 of themselves. He also sent such pictures of himself to the young girls.
During his interrogation following arrest, Leach confessed to setting up the Skype account specifically to communicate with these minor victims and others, frequently requesting they expose themselves during their conversations. The most harrowing revelation was that when one of the victims babysat for Leach’s daughter, he took advantage of the opportunity by exposing himself and masturbating in front of her.
The investigation and subsequent prosecution were a collaborative effort involving Acting U.S. Attorney William D. Weinreb, Inspector Shelly Binkowski of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Colonel Richard D. McKeon of the Massachusetts State Police, Hanson Police Chief Michael Miksch, Whitman Police Chief Scott D. Benton, and assistance from the Waltham Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth G. Shine from Weinreb’s Major Crimes Unit led the prosecution.
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Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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