21-Year-Old Man Guilty Of Child Exploitation Violations After Trying To Meet Underage Boy
SHERMAN (CBSDFW.COM) – A 21-year-old man from McKinney pleaded guilty to child exploitation violations in the Eastern District of Texas.
Stephen Chase Clark pleaded guilty to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor and receipt of child pornography before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christine A. Nowak on Mar. 4, 2019.
According to information presented in court, in August 2018, law enforcement officers conducting an undercover investigation dubbed Operation Zeus, encountered Clark chatting on social media with an individual he believed to be a minor male. Clark engaged in sexual conversations with the individual and asked for photographs of the child.
Clark was arrested on Aug. 28, 2018, after he went to a location in McKinney where he expected to meet the individual he believed to be a child to engage in sexual activities. A review of Clark's cellular phone and social media accounts revealed a number of sexually explicit chats between Clark and other young males. Law enforcement also found a number of child pornography and chats about trading child pornography.
Clark entered into a plea agreement with the government that includes a sentence of 250 months in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set and the actual sentence will be determined by a federal judge at sentencing.
FBI agents continue to work to identify children whose images were located on Clark's electronic devices and encourage anyone who had contact with Clark or may have additional information to contact the U.S. Attorney's Office at 1-800-804-3547.