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Criminal Justice

Former FDIC lawyer who once worked in BigLaw pleads guilty in child-exploitation case

By Debra Cassens Weiss

January 25, 2024, 1:21 pm CST

A lawyer who worked in the general counsel’s office at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. pleaded guilty Tuesday in connection with his participation in two online groups that exploited prepubescent girls.

Mark Black, 50, of Arlington, Virginia, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to produce child pornography and one count of coercion and enticement, according to a Jan. 23 press release from the U.S. Department of Justice. The mandatory minimum sentence is 15 years in prison.

Black participated in online groups that tried to find prepubescent girls online and to persuade them to livestream themselves engaging in sexually explicit conduct, according to the press release. Members of the online groups would secretly record the girls and share the videos with each other.

Publications covering the guilty plea included Law.com, Law360, the Wall Street Journal and CNBC.

Black was an employee with the FDIC since 2013, according to Law.com. Most recently, he was a special counsel in the office of the general counsel, his LinkedIn profile said. Before that, he was an attorney at Steptoe for 12 years. He is also a former president of the Arlington Aquatic Club.

The FDIC said in a statement it was “deeply disturbed and shocked to learn of the allegations.” The alleged conduct was “not related to the FDIC and didn’t involve FDIC devices and systems,” the statement said.

A court filing said Black voluntarily began counseling with a sex-offender treatment provider after a June 6 raid on his home, according to CNBC. The provider said Black was “an excellent candidate for continued outpatient treatment.”