A Tucson man who pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a minor was sentenced to five years in prison Monday.
Mark Phillip Grimes pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. He originally faced 22 counts.
Steven Sherick, the attorney for Grimes, said his client was remorseful and that he had independently sought therapy after his arrest in 2013.
“Mark is really sorry that he got involved in this, and it’s cost him dearly,” Sherick said.
Grimes did not comment at the hearing.
Pima County Superior Court Judge Javier Chon-Lopez said Grimes’ expressed remorse, family support and lack of a criminal record justified the mitigated five-year sentence.
Chon-Lopez also sentenced Grimes to 15 years probation after completion of his prison sentence. Grimes also will be required to register as a sex offender.
Police began investigating Grimes in August 2013 when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children informed them that child pornography had been shared from a Tucson email address.
Police linked the address to Grimes’ southeast-side home in the 6700 block of East Barrow Street, near South Kolb and East Escalante roads.
