Former Prince George’s County Elementary School Teacher Indicted For Coercion And Enticement Of A Child And For Possession Of Child Pornography

Greenbelt, Maryland - A federal grand jury returned an indictment on September 26, 2024, charging Mark Edward Cobb, age 44, of Bowie, Maryland, for coercion and enticement of a child and for possession of child pornography.

The indictment was announced by Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge Michael McCarthy of Homeland Security Investigations ("HSI") Baltimore; and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George's County Police Department.

According to the indictment, from approximately June 19, 2024, to approximately June 25, 2024, Cobb enticed and coerced a minor victim to engage in sexual activity and possessed sexually explicit images involving a prepubescent minor and a minor victim who had not yet attained 12 years of age. The case arose when Cobb, a former Prince George's County elementary school teacher, was accused of engaging in a texting relationship with a nine-year-old student, during which he allegedly requested and received explicit photos from the student. During a search of Cobb's home, sexually explicit images and videos of other children and a bag with several pairs of children's underwear were found.

If convicted, Cobb faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and up to life in federal prison for coercion and enticement of a child and a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for possession of child pornography. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The defendant's initial appearance on this indictment was held in the U.S. District Court in Greenbelt on October 16, 2024.

An indictment is not a finding of guilt. A defendant charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney's Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. = For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.

U.S. Attorney Barron commended HSI and the Prince George's County Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Megan S. McKoy and Ranganath Manthripragada, who are prosecuting the federal case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-childhood and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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