Sumter SC man could see 20 years prison time for child pornography

A Sumter man pleaded guilty to distributing child pornography after federal agents caught him uploading and downloading the images in a chatroom, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's office.

Marlin Russell Derk, 46, could face five to 20 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine, U.S. Attorney Beth Drake said in a statement.

ICE - Homeland Security Investigations Agents caught Derk while keeping an eye out on a chatroom hosting website, according to the statement. In June 2015, Derk posted an explicit image, and investigators seized his computers and phone.

Agents found Derk was uploading and downloading pornographic images of children, according to the statement.

Derk is currently awaiting sentencing.

This story was originally published April 2, 2018 at 1:26 PM with the headline "Sumter SC man could see 20 years prison time for child pornography."