Michigan Man Arrested For Coming To PA For Sex With A 13 Year Old
by Alex Lloyd Gross
Federal Authorities announced the arrest of Mark Allen Hillis, age 57, of Southgate, Michigan. Hillis is accused of contacting the child via social media on Christmas Day 2019. On that day, police said, he coerced the child to take naked photos of herself and send them to him. He faces federal charges of manufacture of child pornography, attempted manufacture of child pornography, and willfully causing the manufacture of child pornography.
He traveled to Montgomery County and encouraged the girl to sneak out of her house in the middle of the night. He met her at a pizzeria and then sexually assaulted her. Those charges are state charges, authorities said.
As alleged in the Criminal Complaint, the defendant’s conduct is abhorrent: manipulating a child into sending him graphic images and then luring her from home in the middle of the night in order to commit a sexual assault to satisfy his twisted desires,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “Protecting children and seeking justice for those who are victims of sexual exploitation is one of my Office’s highest priorities and we will always aggressively investigate and prosecute cases such as this.”
“This arrest demonstrates the great lengths that dangerous child predators will go through to victimize our most vulnerable,” said Brian A. Michael, Special Agent in Charge for HSI Philadelphia. “Homeland Security Investigations and our law enforcement partners will always prioritize bringing dangerous child predators to justice.”
If convicted, Hillis faces a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years’ imprisonment, with a mandatory minimum term of 15 years’ imprisonment, a mandatory minimum term of 5 years’ supervised release, and a fine up to $250,000.