A Bronx man has been sentenced to a lengthy 24 years in prison after pleading guilty to the sexual exploitation of a minor and related offenses, federal authorities in Boston reported. Markell Greene, 27, faced U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris where he received his sentence along with five years of supervised release following his incarceration, as part of a case that highlighted the grim realities of child exploitation.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy described the crimes as "horrific and reprehensible," noting the use of social media by Greene to target a 12-year-old girl, persuading her to send him sexually explicit photos and videos, and then traveling from New York to Boston to engage in sexual acts with the minor which he documented on Snapchat, according to a Department of Justice press release. Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division Jodi Cohen added that Greene, whom she labeled a "monster," caused "untold heartache, pain, anxiety, and fear" to the victim and her family.
The investigation revealed a calculated effort by Greene to manipulate the victim into producing child pornography for him; on February 14, 2022, he carried through his plan to sexually assault her, an event Greene premeditated by communicating over social media and executing interstate travel for the purpose. Greene's arrest and subsequent prosecution is a part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative aiming to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Greene's actions first came to light in late 2021 when he sent an unsolicited Snapchat message to the victim, falsely portraying himself as a teenager around the age of 16 which led to months of manipulation, culminating in the February 2022 assault in Arlington that has now put Greene behind bars for the foreseeable future. Assistance in the case was provided by local law enforcement in Arlington, Massachusetts and New York City, alongside the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office and the FBI's New York Field Office with Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm leading the prosecution, as detailed in the Justice Department's announcement.
