Man used phone to record children in amusement park bathroom stall in Virginia, feds say
A Virginia man could spend years in federal prison after prosecutors said he used his cellphone to record children inside a bathroom stall at an amusement park.
Corey Thomas Mason, 29, of Hampton, had 141 “voyeuristic videos” on the phone that appeared to be taken from inside bathrooms, including the two videos of the children he filmed on Sept. 4, 2021, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Now, Mason has pleaded guilty to possession of child sexual abuse material, the U.S. attorney’s office said in a June 21 news release.
His defense attorney didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on June 24.
In February 2022, Norfolk Naval Shipyard police officers were searching Mason’s phone in connection with a video voyeurism incident that happened at the shipyard in Portsmouth, prosecutors said.
That’s when police reached out to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service for help, according to prosecutors.
Multiple videos of men using bathroom stalls were found on Mason’s phone through a “digital forensic extraction” of the device during an investigation, prosecutors said.
In April 2022, NCIS reviewed the files on his phone after obtaining a federal search warrant and discovered the 141 “voyeuristic” videos, according to prosecutors.
The children Mason is accused of recording were younger than 12, court documents say.
Mason is set to be sentenced on the possession of child sexual abuse material charge on Oct. 18, according to prosecutors.
He is facing up to 20 years in prison, prosecutors said.
Information on reporting a suspected crime or submitting a complaint to the Justice Department, including about suspected child pornography or child exploitation, can be found here.
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