NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Mark Anthony Lowe, 63, of Fort Worth, Texas, pleaded guilty on March 26, 2016, to charges of coercion and enticement of a child and penalties for a registered a sex offender.

In a statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Lowe admitted he sexually assaulted a 6-year-old child while visiting the child’s family on Langley Air Force Base during the 2015 Christmas holiday. The child was taken to an area hospital and examined by a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner and a sexual assault forensic report was completed.

Lowe, a registered sex offender, has a criminal record which includes numerous sexual assault offenses with a child in 1993 in Tarrant County, Texas.

Lowe was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 14, 2016, and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison when sentenced on Sept. 7. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and John S. Adams, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Raymond Jackson.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa McKeel and Kaitlin Gratton are prosecuting the case.