BOSTON - A North Brookfield man was charged in U.S. District Court in Worcester yesterday with child pornography.
Matthew Clem, 30, was charged by complaint with production of child pornography, enticement of a minor to engage in unlawful sexual conduct, and receipt of child pornography.
As alleged in the charging documents, beginning in October 2014, law enforcement officers learned that an individual who identified himself as “Matt" on “Kik Messenger," (Kik) an instant messaging app, had engaged in sexualized chats with a 15-year-old girl. Furthermore, “Matt" had solicited and received unclothed images from the minor victim and sent images depicting his genitals. After further investigation, law enforcement officers determined that the Internet IP address associated with the Kik account belonged to Clem. In March 2015, a search warrant was executed at Clem’s home. According to the charging documents, Clem was interviewed by law enforcement officers following the execution of the search warrant and admitted to utilizing numerous Internet-based messaging systems to solicit numerous females as young as 14-years-old and acknowledged receiving numerous pornographic images from those females.
Based upon Clem’s admissions, a second minor victim was identified. This victim began communicating with Clem in 2012 when she was 14-years-old. The affidavit alleges that this second victim engaged in sexualized video chats at Clem’s request and that Clem engaged in sexual intercourse when this victim was under the age of 16.
The charge of producing child pornography provides a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and no greater than a lifetime in prison, five years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. The charge of enticing a minor provides a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and no greater than a lifetime in prison, five years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. The charge of receipt of child pornography provides a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and no greater than 20 years in prison, a minimum of five years and no greater than a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Vincent B. Lisi, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early, Jr.; Bruce M. Foucart, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Colonel Timothy P. Alben, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and North Brookfield Police Chief Aram Thomasian, Jr., made the announcement. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Grady of Ortiz’s Worcester Branch Office.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as 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
