Mark Pinnock, Witness Intimidation, Massachusetts 2024

BOSTON – A Boston man was sentenced to 33 months in prison for attempting to prevent a victim from testifying against him in a federal proceeding.

Mark Pinnock, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 33 months followed by three years supervised release.

In October 2023, Pinnock pleaded guilty to one count of witness intimidation.

In 2014, Pinnock was sentenced to eight years in prison for a sex trafficking offense. In July 2022, after his release from prison, Pinnock was working as an Amazon driver while under federal supervision.

A victim reported to law enforcement that Pinnock exposed his penis to her while delivering a package to the condominium complex where the victim worked as a custodian.

One week before a scheduled hearing, Pinnock directed a co-conspirator to go to the condominium complex on his behalf and intimidate the victim.

The co-conspirator falsely claimed that he worked for the state and told the victim not to go to Court while standing with his hand in his pocket in a threatening manner as if he had something in it.

Pinnock also used an encrypted messaging application to send an anonymous message to the security officer at the complex to “let the cleaning lady know” she would be arrested by immigration officials if she were to go to court.

Finally, Pinnock placed three separate phone calls to immigration officials in an attempt to have the victim detained for being unlawfully present in the United States.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today.

The Brockton Police provided valuable assistance in the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mackenzie A. Queenin of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.

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