Marquis Drakeford Bynum, a 45-year-old Charlotte resident, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to possession of child sexual abuse material involving a prepubescent minor and violating his federal supervised release. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, Russ Ferguson. Following his sentence, Bynum will also face a lifetime of supervised release and is ordered to pay $33,000 in restitution, as well as register as a sex offender once released, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
This conviction is not Bynum's first encounter with the law regarding child pornography. In 2007, he was found guilty for transporting and possessing similar illegal content. On August 16, 2023, following a probationary search at Bynum's residence by the U.S. Probation Office, authorities discovered two cell phones and a flash drive filled with several thousands of images and videos of child sexual abuse. This evidence was said to horrifically depict children as young as toddlers being abused. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) worked closely with the U.S. Probation Office to thoroughly analyze the collected evidence, which ultimately led to the filing of new federal charges against Bynum. He later pleaded guilty on April 10, 2024, stated a press release obtained by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The FBI's Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Charlotte Division, James C. Barnacle, Jr., joined U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement. Both offices have emphasized the collaboration between agencies as a significant factor in Bynum's apprehension and subsequent prosecution. Assistant United States Attorney Kimlani Ford of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Charlotte is recognized for her role in prosecuting the case.
The case against Bynum is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. This program aims to pull together federal, state, and local resources to more effectively locate and prosecute individuals who exploit children through the internet and to identify and rescue victims. Bynum, who is currently in federal custody, will soon be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon the designation of a federal facility, according to the press release. For individuals seeking more information about Project Safe Childhood and its objectives, more details can be found by visiting the Department of Justice's website directly.
