A federal grand jury has indicted a freelance photographer who reportedly lives in the Northeast for taking sexually explicit pictures of children while working at a series of promotional events for WXPN public radio station.
Mark Wilkens, 57, was charged on Friday with six total counts of manufacturing and possession of child pornography, according to U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger. From August 2010 through July 4 this year, Wilkens allegedly “photographed prepubescent children at public events to capture and attempt to capture sexually explicit images,” the prosecutor’s office said.
Federal authorities don’t officially release specifics about a defendant’s home address, but the Inquirer identified Wilkens as a Lawncrest resident in a published report. The indictment identifies the dates and locations of the crimes as Morris Arboretum on Aug. 19, 2010, and Aug. 14, 2014; Camden Children’s Garden on July 26, 2014; the Franklin Institute on May 2, 2015; and 6500 Rising Sun Ave. on July 4, 2015. ••
