Ireland-Based Child Pornography Kingpin Sentenced to 27 Years

Greenbelt, MD – A notorious child pornography facilitator has been sentenced to 27 years in federal prison for conspiracy to advertise child pornography on the dark web. Eric Eoin Marques, a 36-year-old dual national citizen of the United States and Ireland, was extradited by Irish authorities and pleaded guilty to the charge on February 6, 2020.

Between July 24, 2008, and July 29, 2013, Marques operated a free, anonymous web hosting service (AHS) located on the dark web, hosting websites that allowed users to view and share images documenting the sexual abuse of children. The investigation revealed that the hosting service contained over 200 child exploitation websites that housed millions of images of child exploitation material.

The investigation found that Marques’ hosting service contained over 1.97 million images and/or videos involving victims that were not previously known by law enforcement. Many of these images involved sadistic abuse of infants and toddlers, including bondage, bestiality, and humiliation.

U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang handed down the 27-year sentence, followed by lifetime supervised release, for Marques’ role in facilitating the abuse of more than a million new child victims. The sentence was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner, Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr., and FBI Assistant Director Calvin Shivers.

‘Eric Marques was one of the largest facilitators of child pornography in the world,’ said Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner. ‘This is an egregious case where one individual facilitated the abuse of more than a million new child victims and attempted to keep the abuse hidden on the dark web.’

The sentencing of Marques sends a clear message to perpetrators of this egregious crime that no matter where you are in the world, law enforcement will hold you accountable and bring you to justice. The FBI combats crimes against children and stands up for vulnerable children across the globe.