A former Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) attorney was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for conspiring to sexually exploit numerous children.
According to court documents, from January 2018 to October 2021, Mark Black, 50, of Arlington, Va., was a member of two online groups dedicated to locating prepubescent girls online and convincing the girls to livestream themselves engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Black and his co-conspirators covertly recorded these livestreams and shared the videos with each other.
In July 2019, Black induced a prepubescent minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct on a live-streaming application while screen-recording that activity. That same month, Black and a co-conspirator also groomed another prepubescent minor to engage in sexually explicit acts on a photo and video-sharing application. The co-conspirator surreptitiously shared access to girl’s live-video feed and recorded the sexual acts before sending them to Black.
Between July 2019 and March 2022, Black and the same co-conspirator were members of two additional groups dedicated to the sexual exploitation of children and the sharing of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). In January 2021, Black sent CSAM of a minor to one of the groups.
Black’s electronic devices were found to contain approximately 172,707 images of suspected CSAM. Of those files, over 1,300 depicted identified victims of his conduct.
Black was formerly the Arlington Aquatic Club (AAC) board president.
Black pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy to produce child pornography and coercion and enticement of a minor.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department.