A Maryland man has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for producing and distributing child sexual abuse material. U.S. District Judge Ellen Lipton Hollander delivered the sentence to Mark Rice, 38, of Elkton, Maryland. Following his prison term, Rice will be under lifetime supervised release.
The announcement was made by Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, alongside Special Agent in Charge Michael S. McCarthy of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – Baltimore, and Roland L. Butler, Jr., Superintendent of the Maryland State Police (MSP).
Rice had previously pled guilty to charges including producing and distributing child sexual abuse material and possession of such material. These charges were linked to his sexual abuse of two minors in his care and his use of social media platforms to distribute and solicit such materials.
According to court documents, Rice used his position to sexually exploit a minor from an age younger than three years old, creating photographic evidence of the abuse. He also exploited another minor through covert photography and participated in online communities that traded child sexual abuse material via platforms like Reddit, Telegram, and Kik.
“Rice is a dangerous predator who is now behind bars for a long time where he can’t harm any more children,” stated Hayes. “This sentence reflects the gravity of exploiting the most vulnerable members of our communities."
McCarthy emphasized that "there is no place in society for predators who create and distribute child sexual abuse material." He noted that these crimes have devastating impacts on lives and affirmed HSI's commitment to seeking justice for victims.
The investigation began in April 2023 when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a CyberTip from Reddit about child sexual abuse material being transmitted. Authorities traced this tip back to an IP address linked with Rice’s residence in Elkton.
During an MSP interview, although Rice denied accusations, he was seen deleting photos from his phone. Upon further examination by investigators, child sexual abuse materials were found on his device.
HSI's deeper search revealed over 600 images related to child sexual abuse across Rice’s devices. Investigators also discovered that Rice used a public Reddit community to connect with others trading similar materials using encrypted messaging platforms.
This case falls under Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice aimed at combating child exploitation and abuse nationwide since May 2006.
U.S. Attorney Hayes praised HSI and MSP for their efforts in this investigation as well as NCMEC's valuable assistance in bringing this case forward. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Gordin prosecuted the case.
Further information about Project Safe Childhood can be accessed at www.justice.gov/psc where resources on Internet safety education are available.
For additional details regarding the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office priorities or community resources visit justice.gov/usao-md or justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
