A resident of the Westside of Los Angeles was sentenced Friday to 40 years behind bars for using websites and apps such as Snapchat to meet and entice children to engage in sexually explicit conduct via video-chat then take screen shot images and videos of them.
Mark David Wallin, 44, of the Del Rey area pleaded guilty in January 2023 to one count of production of child pornography and one count of enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Wallin admitted to having used the internet to “meet” pre-teen boys and girls — both abroad and in the United States — then develop relationships with them online, with the intent to obtain sexually explicit images and videos from the children. Wallin also persuaded the victims to engage in sexually explicit conduct via video-chat, which allowed him to take screen shot images and videos, according to documents filed in Los Angeles federal court.
After his victims sent him sexually explicit content, Wallin would demand additional sexually explicit images and videos from them.
For example, Wallin enticed a victim, who was about 9 or 10 years old at the time, to engage in sexually explicit conduct to be displayed to him via Snapchat, a multimedia instant messaging application.
Wallin admitted to causing at least four additional victims — ranging in age from 12 to 16 years old — to create or participate in the creation of multiple files of sexually explicit material featuring themselves.
Wallin further admitted to possessing on a smartphone about 200 sexually explicit videos featuring children in August 2021.