Sexual predator from Williams County sentenced to nearly two years in prison after traveling to Asia without permission and failing to register as a sex offender

A sexual predator from Williams County was sentenced to nearly two years in prison after traveling to Asia without permission and failing to register as a sex offender.

Mark Timothy Schafer, 49, of Bryan, was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to one count of failing to register as a sex offender and one count of failure to notify of international travel.

“This defendant ignored the law when he failed to register as a sex offender and traveled abroad to teach children,” U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said. “Our community is safer with this man behind bars.”

Schafer was convicted of gross sexual imposition in 2004 in the Defiance County Court of Common Pleas. He was classified as a Tier III sex offender – meaning he had to register his address every 90 days – because his crime involved a victim under the age of 13, according to court documents.

Schafer registered as a sex offender following his release from state prison. He updated his registration, which changes to employment and address, multiple times in 2017, most recently with the Williams County Sheriff’s Office.

In 2017, Schafer applied for a U.S. passport, but failed to notify the Williams County Sheriff’s Office that he planned to travel abroad. Schafer applied for a Chinese visa and for a job to teach English in Shenyang, China. Schafer arrived in China on Nov. 21, 2017 and taught English to children there.

His employment was terminated in China in January 2018 and he returned to the U.S. via Detroit, according to court documents.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshal’s Service, Department of State, Customs and Border Protection and Department of Homeland Security. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alissa K. Sterling and Jody L. King.