Former Church Vicar Pleads Guilty To Child Exploitation Charges

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – A former clergyman from West Chester pleaded guilty to charges of child exploitation on Monday.

Mark Haynes, 56, was formerly a parochial Vicar.

Officials say that in 2010, Haynes posed as a 16-year-old girl named Katie on a teen dating website. As Katie, Haynes is accused of meeting minor girls online and requesting that they take and send sexually explicit photos.

Haynes is also charged with distributing other images and videos of children being sexually assaulted, again posing as Katie.

Haynes is charged with using the Internet to entice a minor to engage in sexual conduct, transfer of obscene material to a minor, distribution of child pornography, possession of child pornography, and destruction or concealment of evidence.

If convicted, he will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison with a maximum sentence of life, possible fines and at least five years to life of supervised release.