Ohio Resident Sentenced To 11 Years In Prison For Distributing Child Pornography Using Twitter

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A former Henderson resident who distributed sexually explicit photos of children via a Twitter account was sentenced today to 135 months in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney Dayle Elieson of the District of Nevada.

Mark Alan Stoneking, 40, previously of Henderson, Nevada, now a resident of Elyria, Ohio, pleaded guilty on March 1, 2018, to one count of distribution of child pornography. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Richard Boulware II sentenced him to lifetime supervised release and he will be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

In his plea agreement, Stoneking admitted that, on December 20, 2014, and January 6, 2015, he distributed sexually explicit photos of children via a Twitter account. Those images were accessible to the account’s “followers.” On January 12, 2016, members of the Henderson Police Department and the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force executed a search warrant at Stoneking’s residence in Henderson. They seized four electronic devices containing more than 600 videos and more than 200,000 images of child pornography.

A FBI task force arrested Stoneking on these charges in April 2017. Before the officers entered his residence, Stoneking unsuccessfully tried to hide his cell phone in the attic. A forensic examination showed that Stoneking stored sexually explicit photos of children on that phone as well.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Henderson Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Lopez prosecuted the case.

If you have information regarding possible child sexual exploitation, make a report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) by calling the 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or by making a CyberTipline report at www.cybertipline.com.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood and for information about internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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