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Press Release

Former Parochial Vicar Sentenced For Child Exploitation Charges

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania

PHILADELPHIA – Mark Haynes, 56, of West Chester, PA, was sentenced today to 240 months in prison for child sexual abuse and exploitation.  Haynes, a former parochial Vicar at Saint Simon and Jude’s Church in West Chester, pleaded guilty on June 8, 2015 to using the Internet to entice a minor to engage in sexual conduct, transfer of obscene material to a minor, distribution of child pornography, possession of child pornography, and destruction or concealment of evidence.  In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge R. Barclay Surrick ordered 10 years of supervised release, a fine of $15,000, and a $700 special assessment.

 

Around 2010, Haynes posed as a 15-year old girl named “Katie” on a teen pen pal site on Instagram.  As “Katie,” Haynes would meet young teenage girls online, engage in sexual chats, and send them child pornography photos and videos in an attempt to entice them to take and send sexually explicit pictures of themselves.  Haynes is also charged with distributing other images and videos of children being sexually assaulted over the Internet in 2014.  After his arrest by the Chester County Criminal Investigation Division, Haynes was released on bail.  While under court supervision, Haynes duped an 86-year old friend of his mother into retrieving his computer from his apartment at the rectory at Saint Simon and Jude’s.  Haynes then destroyed the computer, discarding the hard drive in a dumpster in New Jersey. At sentencing, Judge Surrick heard testimony from victims regarding Haynes’ sexual abuse of children from his parish at Saint Ann’s in Phoenixville as far back as 1985 through 1991. 

 

The case was investigated by the FBI in conjunction with the Delaware County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Chester County Criminal Investigative Division.  It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Rotella.

Updated February 17, 2016

Topic
Project Safe Childhood