Charge: Mercer Island man collected 100s of child rape photos Man, 29, accused of offering Homeland Security agent ‘good new stuff’

Homeland Security Investigations agents and Seattle police detectives arrested a Mercer Island man alleged to have offered a undercover agent child rape photos of boys as young as 2. Homeland Security Investigations agents and Seattle police detectives arrested a Mercer Island man alleged to have offered a undercover agent child rape photos of boys as young as 2. Photo: SEATTLEPI.COM Photo: SEATTLEPI.COM Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Charge: Mercer Island man collected 100s of child rape photos 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A Mercer Island man alleged to have traded child rape photos with an undercover agent has been charged with dealing child pornography.

King County prosecutors claim Thomas S. Clark bragged to the Homeland Security Investigations agent that he had “good new stuff” before offering 194 videos depicting the rape of children as young as 2.

Writing in court papers, the special agent said Clark, 29 began sending him child pornography on Aug. 23, and was identified as a suspect three days later. Seattle police detectives and Homeland Security agents arrested him Sept. 1 at his Mercer Island apartment.

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Clark is alleged to have admitted to collecting child pornography online and redistributing it to other collectors.

Investigators seized Clark’s electronics. According to charging papers, they recovered images showing grown men rape young boys.

“The defendant resides on an island riddled with minor children,” Senior Deputy Prosecutor Cecelia Gregson said in court papers. “His sexual interest in minor children and mass dissemination of sexual abuse images evidences the threat he poses to community safety, most specifically minor children.”

Clark was booked into King County Jail but was released after posting bond on $50,000 bail. He has been charged with child pornography offenses.

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Seattlepi.com reporter Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or levipulkkinen@seattlepi.com. Follow Levi on Twitter at twitter.com/levipulk.