Portland Man Sentenced to 50 Years in Federal Prison After
Pleading Guilty to Production of Child Pornography
Investigation Revealed Fathers Trading Child Porn Across the U.S.
PORTLAND, OR—Mark A. Hoffman, 35, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge
Robert E. Jones to 50 years in prison following Hoffman’s guilty plea to two counts of
production of child pornography. Hoffman will also serve a lifetime of supervision. Judge Jones
stated this was one of the worst cases he had seen in his 47 years in practice.
“It is appalling that this father would steal the innocence of his own children,” stated
Acting United States Attorney Kent Robinson. “Because of the determined collaborative efforts
of law enforcement, this parent has been brought to justice for his crimes.”
The federal investigation began in 2006 when an undercover online police officer,
working with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, received child pornography
videos from a Florida man. The videos depicted the sexual molestation of that man’s 5-year-old
daughter. After his arrest, the man provided agents with information that led them down a trail
of fathers and guardians across the country who were sexually abusing minor children in their
care. Eventually, information was provided to authorities about Hoffman and his then 2- and
10-year-old daughters. Images sent by Hoffman to other fathers included pictures and videos of
Hoffman’s minor daughters engaged in sexual conduct with Hoffman.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by
Assistant United States Attorney Kemp L. Strickland.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to
combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by
the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's
Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal,
state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit
children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about
Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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