State v. Adam Marks, C-08-CR-24-000423
LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, Charles County Circuit Court Judge H. James West sentenced Adam Marks, 37, to 5 years in prison for four counts of Soliciting Child Porn. Marks will also have to register as a Tier II Sex Offender.
On March 17, 2025, Marks entered a guilty plea to the above-mentioned charges.
On April 26, 2024, a detective with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office made contact with the juvenile victim at the Waldorf District Station. The victim reported that the suspect, later identified as Adam Marks, asked him on numerous occasions to send inappropriate pictures of himself.
An investigation revealed that the then 12-year-old victim joined a community chat room on a popular video game where Marks was soliciting children to reach out to him directly for friendship. In response, the victim sent Marks a private message within the game. Marks, under the guise of a female player, and the victim exchanged phone numbers. When the victim called Marks’ number, he heard a male voice, but Marks quickly hung up.
Marks then began texting the victim and asking him for inappropriate pictures on multiple occasions. The victim asked Marks to delete his number and not contact him anymore; however, Marks continued to send requests for inappropriate pictures and threatened the victim that he would give his number to other people to harass him if he did not comply.
The victim’s mother witnessed the victim acting suspiciously with his phone and upon questioning, the victim told his mother what was happening. The victim’s mother then contacted the police.
At sentencing, Assistant State’s Attorney Ed Stickles told the judge, “This act could have easily progressed, so the State has significant concerns about the protection of the community.”
Before sentencing Marks, the Honorable Judge West stated, “It is shameful that a mother has to be so worried about their children and their participation in kids’ games. What’s even worse is that her worry was correct.”