A Texas man has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for producing child pornography and threatening minor victims in eight states, including 28 in Central Illinois.
Mark P. Barnwell, 36, was ordered to serve 25 years for production of child pornography and 10 years for committing the crimes while he was required to register as a sex offender. He will remain on supervised release for the remainder of his life after completing the 35-year prison term.
The victims included minor-aged girls from California, Iowa, Mississippi, Nevada, Texas, Washington, and West Virginia, in addition to the 28 from Central Illinois communities.
Barnwell exploited minors online by using false personas on Facebook, including multiple female-presenting profiles. He contacted female Facebook users, including minors, and advertised a modeling opportunity that would pay up to thousands of dollars per photo shoot.
Once he obtained compromising images, Barnwell threatened to injure the minor victims’ reputations and embarrass them by posting their nude pictures online if they failed to comply with his demands for additional images.
The charges are the result of a joint investigation by the U.S. Secret Service, the Peoria Police Department, and the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office. Barnwell entered his pleas of guilty on Aug. 29, 2018.
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.
Mark P. Barnwell, 36, lived in a shed behind a relative’s house in Whitehouse, Texas. He used this scheme to obtain nude photographs from 43 minor victims located in nine judicial districts across eight states.
Barnwell’s victims included minor-aged girls, including 28 from Central Illinois communities, and victims from California, Iowa, Mississippi, Nevada, Texas, Washington, and West Virginia.
The charges against Mark P. Barnwell include production of child pornography and committing the crimes while he was required to register as a sex offender.
Defendant: Mark P. Barnwell
Criminal Charges: Production of child pornography, committing crimes while required to register as a sex offender
City and State: Whitehouse, Texas
Date: January 9, 2019
Sentence: 35 years in prison, supervised release for the remainder of his life
Key Facts
- State: Illinois
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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