Bel Air Man Takes Plea Deal in Child Pornography Case

A 42-year-old Bel Air man pleaded guilty to charges of attempted enticement of a minor and possession of child pornography Thursday in a U.S. District Court in Delaware.

Judge Sue L. Robinson is scheduled to sentence Mark Allen Heil, who faces a minimum of 10 years and maximum of life in prison for the attempted enticement conviction, on June 1. He could be sentenced to as many at 10 years in prison for his child pornography conviction and also faces a supervised release sentence of five years to life if he gets out of prison.

Heil will also have to register as a sex offender wherever he lives, works or attends school. He was indicted in November and has been detained since he was arrested Oct. 17.

“There are vast online communities of child sex offenders who are using the Internet to collaborate in the sexual exploitation of children. We will continue to pursue the members of these communities and to prosecute them to fullest extent of the law," Charles M. Oberly III,  U.S. Attorney for Delaware, said in a statement.

Authorities say Heil contacted an undercover detective posing as the father of a 9-year-old boy in an online chat room before meeting with the detective at Don Pablo's restaurant in Newark, DE, on Oct. 17.

Heil was arrested outside of the restaurant, where law enforcement agents recovered a computer with more than 9,000 images and 100 movies of child pornography. His online chat room name was "predatormike1203."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. McAndrew is the case prosecutor.