WHITEHOUSE, Texas — An East Texas man, who is also a convicted sex offender, has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for producing child porn in Texas and seven other states.
U.S. District Judge Joe Billy McDade sentenced Mark P. Barnwell, 36, of Whitehouse, on January 9, 2019, to 25 years for production of child pornography to be followed by 10 years for having committed the crimes while being a registered sex offender. Barnwell has also been ordered to remain on supervised release for the remainder of his life after he completes the 35-year prison term.
According to court documents and admissions made in court, Barnwell lived in a shed behind a relative’s house in Whitehouse. His victims included minor-aged girls, including 28 from Central Illinois communities, as well as victims from California, Iowa, Mississippi, Nevada, Texas, Washington and West Virginia. In all, law enforcement says Barnwell targeted 43 victims.
He entered a guilty plea on August 29, 2018.
Barnwell admitted to operating under fake Facebook profiles, posing as a modeling agent to offer girls an opportunity to take part in a modeling job that paid $500-$5,000 for modeling shoots. Under the guise of producing a modeling portfolio, Barnwell directed the victim’s poses which progressed from various stages of undress to sexually explicit. Once the initial modeling photos were provided by the victims, Barnwell threatened to post the photos online if the victims did not continue to provide additional photos.
The investigation into the fake Facebook profiles revealed Barnwell, using the above-described modeling reuse, contacted at least sixty-six females and ultimately obtained nude photos from 43 minors.
Evidence collected from devices owned by Barnwell included additional images and video relating to sexual exploitation of minors, as well as videos where Barnwell surreptitiously filmed women using public restrooms.
