UPDATED: Federal agents arrest Highland County man for alleged sexual exploitation crimes

A Highland County man was arrested Tuesday and is charged federally with sexually exploiting minors from California, Texas and Michigan.

Mark A. Chandler, 37, of Mount Orab, appeared in federal court in Cincinnati Tuesday afternoon. He faces charges of sexual exploitation of children, coercion and enticement, and receipt of child pornography.

According to charging documents, the Highland County Sheriff’s Office received a tip regarding Chandler in November 2025. The resulting investigation revealed that Chandler allegedly paid at least five girls he met online to engage in sexually explicit acts on video.

Chandler allegedly used multiple social media apps to connect with the victims, who were all approximately 14 years old. The criminal complaint affidavit details that Chandler allegedly groomed victims online for up to two years and allegedly paid the victims through Visa gift cards in exchange for sexual videos and images.

Screen recordings and messages on Chandler’s electronic devices allegedly show that he threatened to kill at least one of the victims if she “tattled” on him. Chandler allegedly referred to drowning the victim or using knives to cut the victim’s throat.

Chandler was originally arrested on local charges in Highland County.

Sexual exploitation of children is a federal crime punishable by at least 15 and up to 30 years in prison. Coercion and enticement carries a potential penalty of at least 10 years and up to life in prison. Receipt of child pornography is punishable by five to 20 years in prison.

Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jared Murphey, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit; Highland County Sheriff Randy Sanders and Highland County Prosecuting Attorney Anneka P. Collins announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Kyle J. Healey is representing the United States in this case.

This case 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. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

A criminal complaint merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

• • •

The Highland County Sheriff's Office released the following Wednesday:

On Nov. 13, the Highland County Sheriff's Office received a report from a victim's father, who discovered that his minor daughter had allegedly been communicating with Chandler since approximately May or June of 2024, when the victim was 14 years old. 

The Highland County Sheriff's Office initiated an investigation into Mark Alan Chandler II, 37, of the 800 block of Sicily Road, Clay Township, Highland County, for the alleged sexual exploitation of a 15-year-old female victim residing in Orangevale, Calif. 

The investigation revealed that Chandler allegedly:

• Sent sexually explicit images and videos of himself to the minor victim; 

• Engaged in sexually explicit conversations with the victim while acknowledging her age;

• Solicited nude images from the minor victim; 

• Threatened to kill the victim if she reported his conduct;

• Offered gift cards to the victim to maintain the relationship; 

• Discussed traveling to California to engage in sexual activity with the victim; and

• Offered to provide transportation for the victim to meet him. 

Communication between Chandler and the victim reportedly occurred across multiple platforms, including Snapchat, Roblox, TikTok, cellular phone calls, and the encrypted messaging application Signal. 

Additional victims were discovered in multiple states, including Michigan, Texas, Las Vegas, Wisconsin and Indiana. The case was turned over to the Department of Homeland Security in February of 2026 for federal prosecution, as the victims spanned multiple states.

Mark Chandler was charged in the United States District Court of the Southern District on May 4, 2026, for 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b)– Coercion and enticement; 18 U.S.C. § 2252A(a)(2)-Receipt of child pornography; 18 U.S.C. § 2251(a)&(e)-Sexual exploitation of children.