ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A former attorney with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges related to the sexual exploitation of children. Mark Black, 50, from Arlington, Virginia, was actively involved in multiple online groups that targeted and exploited prepubescent girls.
Court records reveal that from January 2018 to October 2021, Black collaborated with others in these groups to locate young girls online, persuading them to livestream sexually explicit activities. These livestreams were covertly recorded and shared among members of the groups. In one instance, in July 2019, Black manipulated a minor into performing explicit acts during a live session which he recorded. In a similar case the same month, he and a co-conspirator groomed another young girl to perform sexual acts, which were then recorded secretly and distributed.
The investigation uncovered that between July 2019 and March 2022, Black and his associates were part of additional networks focused on the exploitation of children and the distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). In early 2021, Black was found to have disseminated CSAM to one of these groups.
Upon examining Black’s electronic devices, authorities found approximately 172,707 images of suspected CSAM, with over 1,300 images depicting identified victims of these heinous acts. Before his arrest, Black held a position as the board president of the Arlington Aquatic Club (AAC).