Elkton Man Sentenced For Production & Distribution Of Child Pornography
Tuesday, July 1, 2025, 5:30 P.M. ET. 3 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
BALTIMORE, MD.- A 38-year-old Elkton, Maryland, man, and a sadistic child predator will be spending the next three decades in federal prison after he was sentenced on Thursday in Federal Court in Baltimore, Maryland, for sexually abusing two young children, and filming abuse to create child pornography and sharing the images of his sexual abuse with others on instant messaging applications
According to U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes, on Thursday, June 26, 2025, Mark Rice, 38, of Elkton, Maryland, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland and was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Ellen Lipton Hollander to 360 months in federal prison, to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release after pleading guilty federal child pornography offenses.
Rice Previously Pleads Guilty To Three Federal Charges
Rice previously appeared in Federal Court for the District of Maryland and pleaded guilty to one count of Production of Child Pornography; one count of Distribution of Child Pornography; and one count of Possession of Child Pornography.
The charges stem from Rice sexually abusing two children in his care while utilizing social media to distribute and receive child pornography.
According to the charging documents filed with the District Court, Rice used his position of authority to sexually abuse a child, beginning when she was less than three years old. While Rice abused the child, he photographed and video recorded the abuse and created digital images and video files of child pornography.
During The Investigation, Investigators Learn Of Another Child
Rice also exploited a second child by surreptitiously photographing the child. Rice actively participated in online communities dedicated to trading child pornography. Rice used platforms such as Reddit, Telegram, and Kik to distribute digital images and video files of his victims, as well as obtaining digital images and video files depicting the sexual exploitation and abuse of other children.
“Rice is a dangerous predator who is now behind bars for a long time where he can’t harm any more children,” U.S. Attorney Hayes said. “This sentence reflects the gravity of exploiting the most vulnerable members of our communities. We’re committed to working with our law enforcement partners to aggressively prosecute those who sexually abuse children and participate in networks that perpetuate such exploitation.
Rice’s Activities Came To Light In April 2023
Rice’s activities came to light in April 2023, when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a CyberTip Reddit regarding the sexual transmission of child pornography. During the ensuing investigation, Investigators traced the tip to an IP address associated with Rice’s Elkton, Maryland, residence.
During a Maryland State Police interview, Rice denied the allegation but was observed by Investigators deleting photos from his cellular phone. When Rice showed the Investigators his phone, they discovered child pornography in a thumbnail image. During a deeper search, Investigators uncovered additional child pornography in his recently deleted folder.
Then, during a forensic examination, Homeland Security Investigations analysts uncovered more than 600 digital images of child pornography across Rice’s electronic devices. Investigators also discovered that Rice used a public Reddit community to connect with people with whom he traded child pornography using encrypted messaging platforms.
