A Fox Chase man once identified by federal authorities as a local karate instructor pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court on Monday to producing child pornography.
Steven Mazer, 25, faces 15 to 30 years in prison for each of two child porn counts. The crimes occurred in December 2011 when a friend asked Mazer to babysit her son, 2, and daughter, 3, while the mother left town for several nights. Mazer forced both children to engage in sexually violent behavior with him while he recorded the attacks, according to a court memo prepared by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Authorities did not disclose how the crimes came to light. But last September, agents from the Philadelphia office of Homeland Security Investigations arrested Mazer in connection with a 2009 child porn case involving a girl between the ages of 4 and 6. Authorities have not released information about the status of that case.
Last September, a supervisory Homeland Security agent told the Northeast Times that investigators had no evidence that Mazer used his position in a local martial arts school to contact child victims. The agent described Mazer as a student and volunteer at a martial arts school in Bustleton, but declined to disclose the specific location. Mazer will be sentenced on Oct. 24.
To report any information about Mazer or other child exploitation cases, call 215–717–4987. ••
