A former Abilene, Texas, preschool teacher was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for producing child pornography involving two young boys, aged 12 and 13. Mark Penfield Eichorn, 28, received the maximum sentence possible during his recent hearing before U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix. Eichorn was also ordered to pay $66,087.50 in restitution.
Eichorn was indicted in June 2024 and pleaded guilty in October 2024 to Production of Child Pornography. Eichorn admitted that he paid two young boys, ages 12 and 13, to record videos of themselves performing sexual acts on each other. At his sentencing, Judge Hendrix told Eichorn that the maximum sentence is warranted, especially for “protection of the public.” In imposing the maximum sentence, Judge Hendrix said, “I have to make a lot of difficult decisions. This is not one of them.”
Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham announced the sentencing on Thursday, adding, “Stopping horrendous acts against children, such as those in this case, is a core mission of this office. 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.”
According to court documents, Eichorn admitted to struggling with desires to sexually assault children since 2019. During this time, he continued to work with children. The preschool teacher admitted to being involved in child pornography trading groups across various Internet platforms, such as Kik and Telegram. Eichorn confessed to possessing and trading prepubescent child pornography online. Among the disturbing material was a video involving a child between the ages of 10 and 12 years old engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
At the time of his arrest, Eichorn was a teacher at a private school in Abilene. According to authorities, Eichorn had contact with one of the child victims in this case and offered to send him $100 per week to be his “Sugar Daddy.” Eichorn admitted that he subsequently paid both victims hundreds of dollars to produce videos of themselves engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
The joint investigation into Eichorn’s activities involved special agents assigned to ICE 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 prosecuted the case.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Before his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
