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Child Porn Pusher Landed 21+ Years in Prison

Matthew Allen Hayes, 35, of Osceola County, has been sentenced to more than 21 years and 10 months in federal prison for advertising child pornography on Twitter. Hayes pleaded guilty on September 15, 2016, for his heinous crime.

According to court documents, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) launched an investigation after discovering that Hayes had posted an image of child pornography on his Twitter page. Deputies found a cellphone at his residence containing at least 100 videos of child pornography, many featuring children under the age of 12. Hayes admitted to posting the advertisement on Twitter, along with the image containing child porn, and confessed to downloading, sharing, and viewing child porn on various networks since his release from prison in October 2015.

Hayes was on supervised release following convictions for armed burglary with a firearm and four counts of burglary of an occupied structure in Manatee County, on October 2, 2013. His crimes demonstrate a pattern of predatory behavior that poses a significant threat to the community.

“Child pornography, when it’s released on the Internet, lives on forever,” said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa. “It haunts the innocent children whose abuse is depicted in the images, and brings unspeakable pain to their parents and families. HSI will continue to work closely with law enforcement partners, like the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, to ensure that those who sexually exploit our children are brought to justice.”

The case was investigated by OCSO and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Special Assistant United States Attorney Christina R. Downes, on assignment from the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, ICE, prosecuted the case.

This case was 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. 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.

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