Photographer draws prison term for affair with 12-year-old girl

A 43-year-old glamour photographer has been sentenced to prison for a romance with a 12-year-old would-be model whose career he was hired to launch.

Deputy District Attorney Teresa Lowry said in court Friday that the girl, now 14, still loves Mark Lewis and would not cooperate with prosecutors.

The couple's plan, Lowry explained to District Judge John McGroarty, was to wait until the girl was 16 and then run off to Italy where they could be wed. Lewis had given the teenager a ring and notes pledging his love.

Lewis was sentenced to prison for two to five years. He will be on lifetime parole when he is released.

Lewis pleaded guilty to statutory sexual seduction and attempted lewdness with a child under the age of 14 in a plea bargain that let him escape charges of sexual assault of a minor. That charge carries a mandatory life prison term with parole after 20 years.

Lowry said it would have been difficult to get such a conviction without the cooperation of the girl.

The girl's relationship with her mother deteriorated over the past two years as the mother battled to keep her away from the man who had wooed the preteen with gifts, flattery and promises, court records show.

In an attempt to keep the two apart, the girl was sent to live with her father in another state.

Lewis didn't speak at his sentencing hearing but sent the judge a letter explaining the relationship and sexual contact was "always mutual never forced" and "just happened suddenly and without warning."

"You made a terrible choice," McGroarty told the balding photographer, who has lost his business, Lewis Photography, as a result of the criminal charges.

The girl's mother said Lewis had tempted the teenager with the fantasy of a modeling career and encouraged her to buy skimpy and revealing clothing.

"Mark cashed in on her fantasy," the mother said. "I know she is still seeing him and is very loyal to him."

Lowry recalled that in August, the mother called police when the girl disappeared.

The girl was reported missing again last month, but returned home after Metro Police put out a public appeal for help in finding the girl that noted she may be with Lewis.

Defense attorney Daniel Albregts asked that the sentence be probation, arguing that Lewis is not a danger to other children in the community, has already paid a high price and has accepted responsibility.

"Although the girl called my client, he conceded he is the adult and the responsibility was his," Albregts said, describing the teenager as "a very troubled young woman."

But McGroarty wasn't swayed.

"The overriding factor is the age of the victim in this case," the judge said. "That is the one thing that stands out in my mind."

After sentencing Lewis, McGroarty refused a request that the photographer be allowed to stay free for a week to get his personal affairs in order.

Lowry argued that Lewis was a danger to the community because he could lure young victims with his photography business and now is a flight risk because of the prison sentence.

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