Grand jury indicts man for ‘sextorting’ minors in Central Illinois

Posted on October 18, 2017

 

gavel
A federal grand jury in Peoria has indicted a Texas man with sexually exploiting four minors.
(Flickr)

 

By Howard Packowitz

PEORIA – A federal grand jury in Peoria has indicted a Texas man on charges he sexually exploited four youngsters in Central Illinois by producing videos or taking pictures of them having sex.

A news release from the U.S. Justice Department said Mark Barnwell, 35, of Whitehouse, Texas was “sextorting” minors, having “employed, used, persuaded, coerced, and enticed” them to engage in sexually explicit conduct.

The indictments allege the crimes happened between September and November of last year in Central Illinois and elsewhere.

The grand jury also charged Barnwell with committing a felony crime against a minor at the same time he was required to register as a sex offender.

Prosecutors want to take away from Barnwell items he allegedly used in the crime, including two laptop computers, an external hard drive, two cell phones, and a camcorder.

The Justice Department said the charges are the result of a joint investigation by Peoria Police, the Peoria County Sheriff’s Department and the U.S. Secret Service.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]

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