Greenville man sentenced to prison for child pornography

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) -  June 6, 2019 - South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that a Greenville man pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography and was sentenced to prison. Mark Woodman Mason, represented by Chase Harbin, pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Third Degree before the Honorable Edward W. Miller in Greenville County.

In June of 2016, Special Investigator Kevin Atkins with the South Carolina Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force conducted a proactive investigation into the use of computer file sharing programs for possession and distribution of files depicting the sexual exploitation of minors on the internet. Inv. Atkins downloaded a file containing child pornography from Mason’s computer, which was located at his home in Greenville County.  Inv. Atkins referred the matter to Investigator Michael Rainey with the Greenville County Sherriff’s Office.

Inv. Rainey executed a search warrant at the defendant’s residence where several electronic devices were seized.  A forensic examination of the seized devices led to the discovery of over 300 files containing child pornography.  While he was out on bond for the first offense, Mason was re-arrested in September of 2018 for sharing an additional file containing child pornography with Investigator Wayne Arnette of the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office. Inv. Arnette was also running a proactive investigation into the use of computer file sharing programs for possession and distribution of files depicting the sexual exploitation of minors on the internet.

Mason was sentenced to a negotiated four years in prison.