Orlando, Florida - United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Matthew C. Graziotti (43, Edgewater) today pleaded guilty to seven counts of production of child pornography, one count of distribution of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography involving children under the age of 12. Graziotti faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years, up to 30 years, in federal prison for each count of producing child pornography. For the distribution count, he faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years, up to 20 years in federal prison, and the maximum penalty for the possession count is 20 years’ imprisonment. A sentencing hearing has been set for Jan. 26, 2015.
According to court documents, Graziotti distributed 141 images and 6 videos depicting the sexual abuse and exploitation of children to an undercover FBI agent. During the execution of a search warrant, agents located thousands of child pornography images on Graziotti’s computer involving children under the age of 12. One computer file folder, named “personally known," contained sexually explicit photographs and videos of 29 children that Graziotti had sexually abused when they were under the age of 12. Graziotti stored the sexually explicit images that he produced in subfolders bearing each child’s name. He produced these images from 2010 through 2014. During this period, Graziotti taught elementary school in South Daytona and was the director of the school’s summer day camp program. He also coached youth sports.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Karen L. Gable.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
