What did Mark Black do? Former federal lawyer pleads guilty to exploiting children 

Fifty-year-old former federal lawyer, Mark Black, was accused of s*xually exploiting children. On Tuesday, January 23, 2024, the US Department of Justice announced that Black has pleaded guilty to several charges. He will be sentenced to a minimum of 15 years behind the bars.

Trigger warning: The article contains references to s*xual exploitation of minor. Readers' discretion is advised.

According to the Department of Justice, the former senior lawyer was a part of two online groups that were involved in s*xually exploiting minor girls. It has also been revealed that Black is married and also is a father of teenage boys.

Mark Black was a park of some disturbing online groups, (Image via @bmurphypointman/X)

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Former FDIC attorney, Mark Black, pleaded guilty to s*xually exploiting minor children over the years

The US Department of Justice issued a press release on January 23, announcing that Mark Black pleaded guilty to the several child s*x crimes filed against him. According to the release, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to produce child p*rnography and one count of coercion and enticement. Several court records mention that, between January 2018 and October 2021, the ex-attorney was a member of two groups on the internet that dealt with child s*xual exploitation.

The press release added:

"The goal of the two groups was to locate prepubescent girls online and convince them to livestream themselves engaging in sexually explicit conduct."

Upon investigation, authorities discovered that, back in 2019, Black made a prepubescent minor act in a s*xually explicit way on a live-streaming application and then record it. The same month, Black and another member of the groups got involved in grooming another minor girl to get involved in inappropriate acts on video.

Black faces a minimum of 15 years in jail, (Image via Joe Pilot/X)

The Messenger reported that the convicted lawyer was arrested last year, in September. He has been detained since then, without bond. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) told the news station:

"[The agency was] deeply disturbed and shocked to learn of the allegations against Mr. Black and subsequently suspended his employment."

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Black's attorney has not yet commented on the court decision

It has been revealed that Mark Black was the president of the Arlington Aquatic Club. The Club hasn't issued any statement in connection to the allegations and the recent verdict. The FDIC confirmed that no devices belonging to the agency were used in the crimes that Black committed. The press release by the US Department of Justice confirmed that Mark Black's sentencing hearing is expected to take place on April 30, 2024.

According to Black's LinkedIn profile, he graduated from the University of Maryland in 1996 with a bachelor's degree in political science and government. Then, in 2000, he received his Doctor of Law degree from The George Washington University Law School. His career began as an attorney for Steptoe and Johnson LLP, where he worked for over 10 years. Mark Black joined the FDIC, in 2013, as a legal counsel.

The FBI was one of the agencies that investigated the case, (Image via @WTFoxtrot10/X)

The case became a part of Project Safe Childhood, which was launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006, to deal with the issue of s*xual exploitation and abuse of minors.