Eric Eoin Marques, a dual citizen of Ireland and the US has been sentenced for 27 years in US following he was pleaded guilty of advertising child pornography on the dark web. The 36-year-old criminal has also been ordered to pay $87,000 to victims as restitution.
“I have destroyed my reputation and my family’s reputation. Please give me a second chance,” Marques told US District Judge Theodore Chuang prior to sentencing, according to a report by Associated Press.
Judge Chuang gave him prison for 27 years and he will also be under lifetime supervision after the release, the Judge said while confirming the verdict.
Marques was the ‘largest facilitator of child pornography in the world’ and the verdict will send ‘a powerful message to those who are trading in child pornography or are contemplating trading in child pornography,’ said Jon Lenzner, the US Attorney for Maryland after the sentencing on September 15.
“It was important to get a sentence that not only tells those out there that we will find you and hold you accountable for trading in child pornography, but also to the victims, to make sure they know that law enforcement, here and overseas, are committed to finding the criminals who exploit them and that, when we can, seeking restitution for them.” he told RTE.
Marques was born in the US and holds a dual citizenship. He moved to Ireland when he was five years old. Federal criminal charges were lodged against Marques in Maryland in August 2013, and he was ultimately extradited from Ireland to the US in March 2019.