A New York man pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston after authorities say he travelled to Massachusetts last year to rape a minor who believed she was meeting a teen.
Markell Greene, 27, pleaded guilty on Oct. 20 to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of travel with intent to engage in illicit conduct, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts.
Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673, and Massachusetts provides this list of statewide and resources for sexual assault survivors.
Prosecutors say Greene sent an unsolicited Snapchat message in late 2021 to the then-12-year-old victim, who believed Greene was about 16 years old. Over the next several months, Greene manipulated the minor victim into sending sexually explicit photos and videos of herself at his request, according to prosecutors, who added that Greene also told the victim to brag about her age during the sexually explicit videos.
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Greene persuaded the victim to meet him in-person on Feb. 14, 2022, at a parking lot in Arlington, Mass. Prosecutors say he picked the girl up in an SUV and parked in an adjacent parking lot where he raped the victim and forced her to engage in oral sex, which Greene recorded on Snapchat.
Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy described Greene as a "serious danger" to our communities.
“Under the cloak of social media anonymity, he targeted, exploited and violated the innocence of a vulnerable child. His conduct was beyond despicable and I commend the incredible bravery of the victim for coming forward," Levy said in a statement. "Today, this predator now stands as a convicted felon who now faces more than a decade in federal prison for his reprehensible conduct.”
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Levy said there is no higher priority for his office than protecting children and called this case a stark reminder of the evil that exists in our society.
"Make no mistake about it, if you prey on children in this District we will spare no resource to ensure our children are safe from harm and hold dangerous offenders accountable,” Levy said.
Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division, said the agency's child exploitation human trafficking task force works hard to identify and apprehend predators like Green who take advantage of children's innocence to commit "atrocious acts."
“What Markell Greene admitted to doing today to this 12-year-old child was heinous, and his actions will have untold ramifications on this brave victim’s life for years to come,” Cohen said.
Greene, who was indicted by a federal grand jury last November, has been in custody since initially being arrested on state warrants in February 2022. His sentencing is set for Feb. 15, 2024.
The charge of sexual exploitation of children provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of travel with intent to engage in illicit conduct provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
