Ecorse man sentenced after posing as teen to sexually exploit children on Snapchat

ECORSE, Mich. (FOX 2) - An Ecorse man received a 10-year prison sentence Monday after authorities say he posed as a teen on Snapchat to prey on children.

Mark-Anthony Markiewicz, 29, pleaded guilty to three counts of coercion and enticement of a minor in June.

According to federal authorities, for at least two years, Markiewicz pretended to be a 16-year-old while having sexual chats with three victims between the ages of 13 and 16 for at least two years. During these conversations, he offered to pay the victims for sexually explicit images and videos. He also threatened to send photos of one of the victims to her family and employer, a tactic known as sexploitation.

"Our office will continue to aggressively prosecute child exploitation offenses to protect the children in our community and to stop individuals like Markiewicz from victimizing children online," U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison said.