Ex-FDIC attorney sentenced to 20 years on child porn charges

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (CN) — A former Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation attorney was sentenced on Tuesday to 20 years in prison for child pornography charges.

Mark Alan Black, 50, had earlier pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to produce child pornography and one count of coercion and enticement in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Black worked for the FDIC, which insures deposits of U.S. commercial and savings banks, from 2013 until his arrest last year on the child pornography charges. He had served as special counsel in the general counsel’s office since 2022. His law license was subsequently revoked in February.

Prosecutors charged that Black was a member of two online groups that would locate prepubescent girls online and convince them to livestream themselves engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The streams would be recorded and shared among the groups.

U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema asked Black why he didn’t seek mental health treatment for his predilections, to which he replied “I was ashamed. … I felt I was in too deep.”

Black was originally faced seven child pornography charges: production, distribution, receipt, possession, conspiracy to produce child pornography, conspiracy to advertise and coercion and enticement. As part of his agreement to plead guilty to conspiracy to produce and coercion and enticement, the other charges were dropped.

Black faced a minimum of 15 years and a maximum sentence of life in prison. Federal prosecutors recommended a 30-year term.

Black’s attorneys sought leniency by emphasizing a traumatic childhood and his devotion to his family. But Brinkema said those weren’t strong enough reasons and imposed the 240-month sentence.

“You have affected a lot of people,” the Bill Clinton appointee said. “It’s incumbent upon the court to send a message that if you engage in this type of conduct and you are caught you will face steep punishment.”

After serving his sentence, Black faces 20 years of supervised release.

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