Overview

• Mark David Wallin pleaded guilty in September 2024 to producing child pornography and enticing a minor after prosecutors said he exploited apps like Snapchat to groom children between ages 9 and 16.
• On May 16, 2025, U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong sentenced the 44-year-old Los Angeles man to 480 months in federal prison for his online exploitation crimes.
• Investigators found that Wallin coerced victims, including a 12-year-old girl in Saanich, into sexually explicit video chats by threatening to expose earlier recordings.
• The Saanich Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations led a cross-border probe after a family reported explicit messages on their daughter’s devices in April 2020.
• A restitution hearing is scheduled for August 13 to determine the compensation Wallin must pay to his victims.