40 Years for Pedophile’s Crimes: Pevely Man Sentenced for Recording Child Abuse

A Pevely, Missouri man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for recording his own sexual abuse of a minor, a crime so heinous it’s left the community reeling.

Matthew Gamel, 36, of Pevely, was given the maximum sentence by U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk for recording his sexual abuse of a minor on at least four occasions. The victim, who was under 14 years of age at the time, was subjected to Gamel’s depraved acts, which he even had the audacity to record for his own twisted pleasure.

But that’s not all – Gamel’s depravity knows no bounds. In addition to the recordings he made, he possessed more than 1,700 media files containing child sexual abuse material that he obtained online. This is a stark reminder of the vast and insidious world of child exploitation that exists online, and the devastating impact it can have on innocent victims.

The case was brought to light thanks to the tireless efforts of the Pevely Police Department and the FBI, who investigated the case and worked together to bring justice to the victim. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes prosecuted the case, which was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

We spoke to Acting Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division, who said: “We are pleased with today’s sentencing and appreciate the hard work and partnership with the Pevely Police Department to bring justice to the victim. We hope this will help with the process of healing the trauma the defendant unconscionably inflicted on a young vulnerable child.”

Gamel pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in February to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of receipt of child pornography. His sentence serves as a stark reminder that those who prey on the most vulnerable members of our society will be held accountable for their crimes.

Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. The program marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.