COLUMBUS, Ohio - Mark W. Wolfe, 50, of Sunbury, Ohio, surrendered this morning to the U.S. Marshal Service in Columbus, Ohio, after being charged by criminal complaint for receipt and distribution of child pornography.
Carter M. Stewart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced the arrest.
According to the complaint, undercover investigators observed files containing child pornography being shared through an IP address belonging to Wolfe. During a search warrant executed on July 31 at Wolfe’s residence, investigators discovered a laptop containing approximately 486 videos and 203 images of child pornography. The files were located in several folders on the desktop of the computer under the user name “Mark." Some of the videos showed children as young as eight-to-10 months old being sexually exploited.
Further forensic analysis of the computer revealed Skype chat messages between Wolfe and several other individuals. In these conversations, Wolfe allegedly claimed to have previously engaged in sex acts with minors and stated that his favorite age is five to ten years old.
Wolfe is scheduled for an initial appearance at 1:30pm today in front of Magistrate Judge Norah McCann King.
This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.
Stewart commended the investigation by the FBI Columbus Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes officers from the Westerville Police Department, Reynoldsburg Police Department and the Powell Police Department, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather A. Hill, who is prosecuting the case.
Charges contained in a criminal complaint are merely allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
