A Snohomish County man, Bennett S. Park, 43, has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Seattle to charges related to the production of child sexual abuse images and attempted enticement of minors. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman.
Park's arrest occurred in August 2023 when he attempted to pick up a 13-year-old in Everett, Washington. According to authorities, Park had communicated with an undercover law enforcement officer about his intentions to molest the minor.
During sentencing by U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez on April 25, 2025, prosecutors will recommend a prison term not exceeding 25 years while the defense suggests no less than 20 years. However, Judge Martinez is not obligated to follow these recommendations.
The plea agreement reveals that Park responded in July 2023 to an online ad posted by an undercover Homeland Security Investigation agent who pretended to have children available for molestation. In his communications, Park admitted to molesting children aged between 11 and 17 and expressed interest in abusing the agent’s fictitious children while already arranging a meeting with a real minor.
Following surveillance efforts aimed at protecting the child involved, law enforcement apprehended Park shortly after he picked up the minor on August 8, 2023.
An examination of Park's electronic devices post-arrest uncovered interactions with numerous minors across various platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat. Twenty-three victims were identified from these communications where Park coerced them into providing sexually explicit images.
Park’s offenses are severe under federal law; producing child pornography carries a minimum sentence of 15 years imprisonment up to a maximum of 30 years while attempted enticement of a minor entails a minimum ten-year sentence possibly extending to life imprisonment.
This case forms part of Project Safe Childhood initiated by the U.S. Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation nationwide through collaborative efforts among federal, state, and local agencies.
The investigation is being conducted by Homeland Security Investigations with prosecution led by Assistant United States Attorney Cecelia Gregson.