ICE investigation leads to prison sentence for 'dangerous predator' who abused 2-year-old
U.S. District Judge Ellen Lipton Hollander sentenced Maryland man Mark Rice, 38, to 30 years in federal prison and a lifetime of supervised release for producing and distributing child sexual abuse material. The sentence was part of a plea deal.
A statement by the Department of Justice said Rice pleaded guilty to one count of producing child sexual abuse material, one count of distributing child sexual abuse material, and one count of possessing child sexual abuse material.
According to the DOJ, the charges stemmed from Rice "sexually abusing two minors in his care" while using social media platforms such as Reddit, Telegram, and Kik to distribute materials depicting his victims and to solicit and access materials depicting other children.
In a Tuesday statement, ICE said the investigation began in April 2023 when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a cyber tip from Reddit regarding the distribution of child sexual abuse material. Authorities traced the tip to an IP address associated with Rice's residence in Elkton, Maryland.
Maryland State Police questioned Rice regarding the abuse materials, and though he denied the allegations, he was later "observed deleting photos from his phone."
According to ICE's statement, when Rice showed officers his phone, investigators were able to spot child sexual abuse material in a thumbnail image. Authorities then uncovered additional material in his recently deleted folder.
ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) reportedly discovered more than 600 child sexual abuse images across Rice's devices. Investigators also found that Rice used Reddit to connect with people with whom he traded abuse materials using encrypted messaging platforms.
According to ICE, Rice began abusing his first victim when she "was less than 3 years old." He created photographic evidence of the abuse and also documented his abuse of another minor.
In the statement, ICE HSI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Michael McCarthy called the sentencing a "powerful reminder that those who exploit and abuse children will be relentlessly pursued and held accountable."
"There is no place in society for predators who create and distribute child sexual abuse material," said McCarthy. "These crimes shatter lives, and HSI will never waver in our mission to bring justice to victims by targeting those who commit these horrific acts."
Kelly Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, called Rice "a dangerous predator."
"This sentence reflects the gravity of exploiting the most vulnerable members of our communities," said Hayes. "We're committed to working with our law-enforcement partners to aggressively prosecute those who sexually abuse children and participate in networks that perpetuate such exploitation."
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