Appling man gets more than 8 years in prison for child porn

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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A Columbia County man has been sentenced to federal prison after itting he possessed images of children being sexually exploited.

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Mark Christopher Greene, 46, of Appling, was sentenced to 102 months in prison after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography, according to federal prosecutors. U.S. District Court Chief Judge J. Randal Hall also ordered Greene to pay $18,000 in restitution, to serve 15 years of supervised release and as a sex offender after completion of his prison term.

The investigation of Greene began in December 2019 when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a cyber tip that identified images of child pornography. Armed with a search warrant, agents from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation seized electronic devices from Greene’s residence and discovered dozens of images and videos of child exploitation on those devices.

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Greene was on probation for a prior conviction for drug possession at the time of his arrest on the child pornography charge.

“Protecting our most vulnerable citizens is an essential element of public safety,” said U.S. Attorney David H. Estes. “We commend our vigilant law enforcement partners for identifying and shutting down digital predators.”

The case was investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremiah L. Johnson and Assistant U.S. Attorney and Project Safe Childhood Coordinator Tara M. Lyons.

Anyone with information on suspected child sexual exploitation can the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 800-843-5678, or https://report.cybertip.org.