Mecosta County Woman Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of a Child

GRAND RAPIDS, MI—U.S. Attorney Donald A. Davis announced that Andrea Marie Mast, 32, of Evart, pled guilty today to a federal sexual exploitation charge before U.S. Magistrate Judge Hugh W. Brenneman, Jr. Mast admitted to producing multiple images of sexually explicit conduct of a minor.

Mast came to the attention of authorities when the child reported that Mast had taken pictures of the child naked and sent the pictures to a man named “Tim.” At her guilty plea, Mast admitted to taking the pictures and sending them to Timothy Sims at his request. Mast indicated at her plea hearing that she intends to cooperate with authorities and testify against Sims. Sims is scheduled to go to trial, on October 25, 2011, on charges of producing, receiving, and possessing sexually explicit images of children.

At sentencing Mast faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, up to a lifetime of supervised release, and fines and restitution.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, county prosecutor’s offices, an Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force, and federal, state, and local law enforcement are working closely together to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children. The partners in Project Safe Childhood work to educate local communities about the dangers of online child exploitation and to teach children how to protect themselves. More information about Project Safe Childhood is available at the following website: www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was investigated by the Evart Police Department, Mecosta County Sheriff’s Department, Big Rapids Police Department, Michigan State Police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Mekaru.

Mast has been remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending the scheduling of a sentencing date before U.S. District Judge Janet T. Neff.