Former FDIC Attorney pleads guilty to child sexual exploitation

Bloomberg News

WASHINGTON — A former Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. lawyer Mark Black, of Arlington, Virginia, Tuesday pleaded guilty to conspiring to sexually exploit children. 

Black pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to produce child pornography and one count of coercion and enticement. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 30 and faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison to a maximum sentence of life in prison. The FDIC said none of Black's activity was related to the FDIC or used agency resources.

Court documents reveal that from January 2018 and October 2021, Black was involved in two online groups dedicated to exploiting children. During this time, he induced a prepubescent minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct on a live-streaming application while he covertly screen-recorded the activity.

"That same month, Black and a co-conspirator also groomed another prepubescent minor to engage in sexually explicit acts on a photo and video-sharing application," the Department of Justice release noted. "The co-conspirator surreptitiously hacked into that girl's live-video feed and recorded the sexual acts before sending them to Black."

The FDIC has said it immediately suspended Black after learning of the allegations. According to his Linkedin profile, Black — who spent roughly a decade at the agency — notes he was working with the agency as recently as October 2022, when he was promoted from Counsel to Special Counsel. Black could not be reached for comment.

Black's guilty plea was announced jointly by Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia, Assistant Director Michael D. Nordwall of the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division and Assistant Inspector General for Investigations Shimon Richmond of the FDIC's Office of Inspector General.