West Los Angeles Man Sentenced to 40 Years in Prison for Using Snapchat to Entice Children into Producing Sexually Explicit Videos

LOS ANGELES – A resident of the Westside of Los Angeles was sentenced today to 480 months in federal prison for using apps such as Snapchat to meet and entice children to engage in sexually explicit video-chats which he screen-captured and saved, unbeknownst to the children.

Mark David Wallin, 44, of the Del Rey neighborhood of Los Angeles, was sentenced by United States District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong, who scheduled a restitution hearing for August 13.

At today’s hearing, Judge Frimpong said Wallin committed “cruel and relentless” crimes against children and that his conduct was “highly sexualized sadomasochistic conduct that no child should know of, let alone be exposed to.”

Wallin, who has been in federal custody since July 2022, pleaded guilty in September 2024 to one count of production of child pornography and one count of enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity.

From 2019 to August 2021, Wallin used the internet to “meet” pre-teen boys and girls – both abroad and in the United States – then developed relationships with them online, with the intent to obtain sexually explicit images and videos from them. Wallin also persuaded the victims to engage in sexually explicit conduct via video-chat, which he screen-captured and saved.

After his victims sent him sexually explicit content, Wallin would sometimes demand additional sexually explicit images and videos from them. Wallin also threatened to publish or otherwise expose the prior pictures and videos sent by the victim or created by defendant if the victim did not comply with his demands.

For example, in February and March of 2020, Wallin enticed a victim, who was approximately 9-10 years old at the time, to produce sexually explicit images and videos used on the social media app Snapchat.

Wallin admitted in his plea agreement to knowingly causing at least four additional victims – ranging in age from 12 to 16 years old – to produce multiple files of child pornography.

Wallin further admitted to possessing approximately 200 files containing child sexual abuse material in August 2021.

Homeland Security Investigations investigated this matter, with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department providing assistance.

Assistant United States Attorneys Scott M. Lara of the Domestic Security and Immigration Crimes Section and Catharine A. Richmond of the Violent and Organized Crime Section prosecuted this case.