Child pornography charges include victims from central Illinois

Posted on January 16, 2019
Barnwell, a registered sex offender, will remain on supervised release for the rest of his life once his prison term is completed (PHOTO:Pixabay)

 

By Katherine Murphy

PEORIA– A Texas man has been sentenced to 35 years in prison on child pornography charges that federal prosecutors in central Illinois say involved more than 40 girls in eight states.

Mark Barnwell, of Whitehouse, Texas, was sentenced last week.

Prosecutors say girls were directed by Barnwell to send sexually explicit photos to him. He would then threaten to post those pictures online if they didn’t send more.

The girls were contacted through fake Facebook profiles and sent photos thinking they were being used for modeling portfolios.

In all, there were 43 victims, including 28 in central Illinois.

Barnwell, a registered sex offender, will remain on supervised release for the rest of his life once his prison term is completed.

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