Child Pornography Included Images of Prepubescent Minors Subjected to Sadistic, Violent, and Masochistic Conduct
SAN FRANCISCO – LAWFUEL – Press Release Service – U.S. Attorney Kevin V. Ryan announced that Mark Godbey Moore, 53, of St. Cloud, Minnesota, was sentenced today to over eight years in prison (97 months) and eight years of supervised release following his guilty plea for transporting and possessing child pornography. Moore, a former minister for “Extended Grace Ministries” who was affiliated with several overseas orphanages, was found in possession of over 1000 child pornography images during a routine search of his baggage at San Francisco International Airport on October 4, 2005. At the time, Moore was traveling from Bangkok, Thailand, to his home in Minnesota. Among the images found were pictures of prepubescent children being subjected to bondage, sexual torture, and bestiality, as well as infants being forced to engage in sex acts with adults.
“This case, as part of the Department’s Project Safe Childhood program, is a priority for the Department of Justice,” said U.S. Attorney Kevin V. Ryan. “Each depiction of a child in a pornographic act involves the exploitation and abuse of that child, often with long-term damaging repercussions. I am committed to vigorously pursuing those who engage in such activities, and the Department of Justice will use every tool given by Congress to eradicate this horrid crime.”
According to court documents, the sentence is among the highest ever handed down in the Northern District of California for a non-contact offense involving the transportation and possession of child pornography. Court documents further stated that the high sentence was due in part to the egregious nature of Moore’s child pornography collection. Moore was sentenced by United States District Judge Jeffrey S. White, who included as a condition of release that Moore pay a fine of $17,500 to a charity that cares for, or assists, sexually exploited children.
Moore is currently in custody. In pleading guilty, Moore admitted that he transported in foreign commerce and possessed visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252(a)(1) and (a)(4)(B).
The sentence and guilty plea are the result of an investigation by the U.S. Customs Border Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Morgan-Kelly.
Further Information:
A copy of this press release may be found on the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s website at www.usdoj.gov/usao/can.
Electronic court filings and further procedural and docket information are available at https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
Judges’ calendars with schedules for upcoming court hearings can be viewed on the court’s website at www.cand.uscourts.gov.
All press inquiries to the U.S. Attorney’s Office should be directed to Luke Macaulay at (415) 436-6757 or by email at Luke.Macaulay@usdoj.gov.
