Marcus William Lowe, Child Sex Abuse, Washington 2020

A 35-year-old former resident of Kirkland, Washington, Marcus William Lowe, was sentenced to 13 years in prison for attempted enticement of a minor and possession of child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Lowe has been in federal custody since November 2020.

At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez emphasized the lifelong impact of child sex abuse on its victims, saying, 'The impact is lifelong to those victims who are revictimized every time those images are downloaded and viewed. Every single one of those photos reflects a real child, a real victim.'

According to records filed in the case, in early October 2020, Lowe used an internet application to communicate with a parent about molesting a ten-year-old child. In fact, the child was fictitious, and the 'parent' was an undercover FBI agent. When Lowe arrived at the location and spotted law enforcement, he attempted to flee and injured a law enforcement officer in the process.

A review of Lowe's electronic devices revealed he possessed several hundred images of child rape and sexual abuse. A minor child also revealed that Lowe had sexually abused the child, leading to a separate 41-month prison sentence in King County Superior Court.

'It is heartbreaking that child predators cause lasting damage on innocent children without caring that they are destroying lives,' said Richard A. Collodi, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Seattle. 'We hope that these prosecutions send a message to other would-be sex offenders that law enforcement takes these crimes seriously, and there will be consequences.'

Lowe was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Seattle. Judge Martinez ordered that the 13-year federal sentence run concurrent to the state sentence. Lowe will be required to register as a sex offender following prison and will be on supervised release for 15 years following the prison term.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006. The case was investigated by the FBI, with cooperation from the Seattle Police Department and the Kirkland Police Department. The operation was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Matt Hampton.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/pr/former-kirkland-washington-resident-sentenced-13-years-prison-possessing-images-child