Huntington Man Pleads Guilty To Possession Of Child Pornography
Tuesday, January 14, 2025, 5:15 P.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
HUNTINGTON, W.VA.- A 33-year-old Huntington, West Virginia child predator is facing up to 20 years in federal prison after pleading guilty yesterday to a federal child pornography offense.
On Monday, January 13, 2025, Mark Radford, 33, of Huntington, West Virginia, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Robert C. Chambers to one count of Possession of Child Pornography.
Following entering his guilty plea on Monday, Judge Chambers accepted the plea and scheduled sentencing for May 5, 2025, at which time Radford faces up to 20 years in federal prison, at least five years and up to life of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine, or both. Upon release from prison, Radford will be required to register as a sex offender in the national database.
According To The U.S. Attorney’s Office
According to U.S. Attorney Will Thompson and documents filed with the court, around November 3, 2020, during an ongoing child pornography investigation, federal agents seized Radford’s cellular phone. During a subsequent court-authorized forensic examination of the cell phone, agents uncovered 22 digital images depicting the sexual exploitation and abuse of children.
Radford Admits Guilt On Monday
During Monday’s plea allocution, Radford admitted to downloading the digital images from the internet and storing them on his cell phone. Radford further admitted that some of the images depicted prepubescent children engaged in sexual conduct.
U.S. Attorney Thompson commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation that led to Radford’s arrest and Monday’s guilty plea.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
