On Sept. 27, 2022, Mark Kriss, a resident of Freedom, Pennsylvania was indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh. He is charged with Receipt of Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor and Attempted Sex Trafficking of a Child.
According to the indictment, in May of 2021, Kriss allegedly engaged in a text message conversation with a minor and asked her to send him sexually explicit images. He is also alleged to have attempted to solicit the child to have sex with him for money. This exchange of sex for money constitutes a commercial sex act, which is the reason for the charge of Attempted Sex Trafficking of a Child. Kriss then picked up the child outside of a church, took her to a motel, and sexually assaulted her.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin J. Risacher. If found guilty, Kriss faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life prison, along with fines, and supervised release of at least 5 years.
Although the exact age of the victim in this case was not specified, the indictment states that she was under the age of 18. In 2000, the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act (TVPA) was passed, and it has been reauthorized four times. Under the TVPA, the term “severe forms of trafficking in persons” means sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age. The removal of “force, fraud, or coercion” when the victim is under the age of 18 makes it clear that under federal law a child cannot legally consent to commercial sex. Additionally, although Kriss is only charged with Attempted Sex Trafficking of a Child, the indictment alleges that he also sexually assaulted the victim.
The CSE Institute commends the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Northern Regional Police Department for their investigation that lead to this indictment. We applaud all the organizations involved, not only for their dedication to ensuring the safety of children, but also for recognizing those who attempt to purchase sex are the root cause of sexual exploitation.
The CSE Institute will provide updates as they become available.
All views expressed herein are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law or of Villanova University.