Former Trump lobbyist from Lake Norman charged with distribution of child porn
.jpg "The Charles R. Jonas Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse")
A Mooresville man who lobbied for President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign was indicted by a federal grand jury on Oct. 22 on charges of possessing and distributing child sexual abuse materials, according to federal court records.
Scott David Mason, 61, was accused of distributing photos and videos 50 times using the messaging app Kik between March 28 and May 1. He distributed 10 videos and five photos of sexually explicit images of children, court records allege.
Prosecutors also accused Mason of using artificial intelligence to “nudify” one of the images and to make nude videos of minors. He was also accused of distributing “child erotica.”
“Many messages reveal Mason’s stated sexual interest in teenage children,” said a motion filed on Oct. 28 by the U.S. attorney in North Carolina’s Western District. In one message Mason was accused of saying he likes teenagers “13+.”
The indictment lists his job as a senior policy advisor at an international law firm, as well as a lobbyist.
After working for Trump, Mason was hired as a senior policy advisor at Holland & Knight, a law firm that “that brought in a record amount of lobbying fees the year after the president’s victory,” according to CNBC.
Darrin Schlegel, director of public relations at the law firm, said Mason was hired in 2017 and terminated on Oct. 3, before the indictments.
“The charges filed in this case are shocking and profoundly disturbing,” a statement from the firm said. “Our thoughts are with those affected and the Firm is cooperating fully with law enforcement authorities.”
Mason’s attorneys, C. Melissa Owen and W. Rob Heroy, declined to comment.
Devices seized
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a tip from Kik’s holding company, MediaLab.AI Inc., about an account Mason was accused of using, records said. Kik records showed the IP address of the distributed materials, the filings said. Charter Communications Inc. records showed that the IP address matched Mason’s residence at the time of distribution. The accounts used on Kik were also traced back to an email used by Mason, records said.
Mason admitted to law enforcement on July 14 that he used Kik for sexual conversations, which he called “entertainment,” but denied downloading or distributing sexually explicit material of minors.
He said he “never solicited” the material, the indictment said.
“He acknowledged that he engaged in sexually explicit conversations about minor females, which claimed to be fantasy and an outlet,” the court filing said.
Mason surrendered his iPhone and its password. Authorities also seized other electronic devices from Mason’s home, records said.
The court filing said Mason’s attorneys requested a forensic examiner review the documents on the seized devices due to them potentially containing work materials. Prosecutors were opposed to the request, arguing its proposed government filter team would be adequate.
The devices had not been analyzed as of October, the records said.
Mason, who was released on bond, pleaded not guilty on Oct. 27. If convicted, he could face a minimum of five years in prison.
This story was originally published November 10, 2025 at 2:36 PM.
