Whitehouse Man Pleads Guilty in “Sextortion” Case
Posted/updated on: September 5, 2018 at 5:03 pm
PEORIA, Ill. — A Whitehouse man pleads guilty in Illinois to sextorting young girls online. Mark Barnwell, a registered sex offender, pleaded guilty to an elaborate scheme in which he used false personas on Facebook to attract young girls to a modeling opportunity. He claimed it would pay thousands of dollars. The girls were told to take compromising pictures of themselves. Prosecutors say Barnwell then threatened the girls if they didn’t send more images. This involved more than 40 girls across eight states. Barnwell also filmed women in public bathrooms. He’s scheduled for sentencing in January.
