Former Kirkland, Washington resident sentenced to 13 years in prison for possessing images of child rape and abuse, and for plan to sexually assault a child

Seattle – A 35-year-old former resident of Kirkland, Washington was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 13 years in prison for attempted enticement of a minor and possession of child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Marcus William Lowe has been in federal custody since November 2020. At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez said, “The impact is lifelong to those victims who are revictimized every time those images are downloaded and viewed. Every single one of those photos reflects a real child, a real victim.”

“Those who prey on children face significant federal prison time,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Gorman. “These crimes leave life-long scars on the young and vulnerable. It is entirely appropriate that we use custody time, post sentence supervision and registration as a sex offender to keep our community safe.”

According to records filed in the case, in early October 2020, Lowe used an internet application to communicate with a parent about molesting a ten-year-old child. In fact, the child was fictitious, and the “parent” was an undercover FBI agent. When Lowe arrived at the location and spotted law enforcement he attempted to flee and injured a law enforcement officer in the process.

A review of Lowe’s electronic devices revealed he possessed several hundred images of child rape and sexual abuse. A minor child revealed that Lowe had sexually abused the child. He was sentenced in King County Superior Court to 41 months in prison for that conduct.

“It is heartbreaking that child predators cause lasting damage on innocent children without caring that they are destroying lives,” said Richard A. Collodi, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Seattle. “We hope that these prosecutions send a message to other would-be sex offenders that law enforcement takes these crimes seriously, and there will be consequences.”

Judge Martinez ordered that the 13-year federal sentence run concurrent to the state sentence. Lowe will be required to register as a sex offender following prison and will be on supervised release for 15 years following the prison term.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

The case was investigated by the FBI. The operation was conducted in cooperation with the Seattle Police Department, and the Kirkland Police Department.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Matt Hampton.