Sussex County Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Transporting a 12-Year-Old for Criminal Sexual Activity

WILMINGTON, Del. - Miles Clark, 23, of Sussex County, was sentenced on August 27, 2026, to 12 years in prison for transporting a minor across state lines with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika imposed the sentence.

According to court documents, Clark, then 21, met the 12-year-old victim on Snapchat, exchanged sexually explicit messages describing sexual acts he intended to commit with the victim, and sent her sexually explicit videos of himself. About a week later, Clark drove nearly 200 miles to Pennsylvania, picked up the victim from a church near her home, and transported her across state lines to his residence in Delaware, where he sexually abused her. Clark knew the victim was a minor.

"This defendant deliberately took a child across state lines to abuse her," said U.S. Attorney Benjamin L. Wallace. "The sexual exploitation of children causes unthinkable harm, and I am grateful for our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners' tireless work to keep our community safe from people who prey on children."

"Miles Clark is a dangerous and depraved predator who used a popular app to target, groom, and abuse an innocent child. Assuredly, our community is safer today with him behind bars where he can no longer harm our children," said FBI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul. "I commend the FBI's Delaware Violent Crime and Safe Streets Task Force and Delaware State Police for their commitment to protecting children and relentlessly pursuing those who exploit them."

Upon his release from prison, Clark will serve eight years of supervised release and be required to register as a sex offender.

The FBI's Delaware Violent Crime and Safe Streets Task Force investigated the case with assistance from the Delaware State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Claudia L. Pare and Kevin B. Smith prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the DOJ's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Delaware. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District CourtLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. for the District of Delaware or on PACERLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. by searching for Case No. 25-cr-3-MN.

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