AIRPORT COURTHOUSE — A 32-year-old Santa Monica man pleaded no contest Wednesday to two counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14 as part of a plea bargain with prosecutors, authorities said.
Brian Anthony Marks faced nine criminal charges for allegedly carrying on a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old girl, whom he met on a mobile texting application similar to a chatroom.
The pair met in September, and Marks allegedly developed an ongoing sexual relationship with the teen. Her parents learned of the relationship and notified police.
Marks is expected to be sentenced to five years in prison on June 13 as part of the plea agreement, a clerk with the Los Angeles Superior Court said Friday. The maximum he would have faced was eight years per charge.
Marks was arrested at his home in early January by investigators from the Santa Monica Police Department’s Youth and Family Services Unit.
He was initially booked at the Santa Monica Jail for lewd and lascivious acts with a child and unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. He plead not guilty and posted a $500,000 bond.
Police said Marks had sex with the teen at his Santa Monica home.
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