A former preschool teacher from Abilene has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for producing child pornography. The sentence was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Chad E. Meacham. The teacher, identified as Mark Penfield Eichorn, reportedly paid two boys, ages 12 and 13, to film themselves performing sexual acts.
Eichorn, who is 28 years old, was indicted in June 2024 and pleaded guilty to the charges in October of the same year. He received the maximum statutory sentence of 360 months from U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix, who also imposed a restitution order of $66,087.50.
“Stopping horrendous acts against children, such as those in this case, is a core mission of this Office,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Chad E. Meacham. “We hope that the maximum punishment in this case serves as a message to other child predators, and that the victims and their families find some measure of comfort knowing that this abuser will be off the streets for a very long time.”
Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard of Homeland Security Investigations Dallas commented on the case, stating, “This defendant made the depraved decision to exploit children, not only failing to meet any standard of human decency but choosing to victimize them through the production of sexually explicit materials.” He expressed gratitude for the law enforcement collaboration that led to Eichorn's 30-year prison sentence.
Court documents revealed that Eichorn had been dealing with urges to assault children since 2019 but continued working in environments involving children. He admitted to participating in child pornography trading online, utilizing platforms such as Kik and Telegram.
At the time of his arrest, Eichorn was a teacher at a local private school. He initiated contact with one of the victims, offering to pay $100 weekly under a "Sugar Daddy" arrangement. Eichorn paid the minors hundreds of dollars for videos featuring sexually explicit acts.
In court, Judge Hendrix emphasized the necessity of the sentence, stating, “I have to make a lot of difficult decisions. This is not one of them,” underscoring the importance of public protection.
The investigation was conducted by multiple agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations—Abilene Resident Agency, the Abilene Police Department, and the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia. Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitney Ohlhausen led the prosecution.
This case arises under Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in May 2006 focused on tackling child sexual exploitation and abuse. The project relies on collaboration across federal, state, and local levels to locate and prosecute those who exploit children and identify and rescue victims. Additional details are available at the Department of Justice's official website for Project Safe Childhood.