Matthew Murphy, Child Exploitation, Massachusetts 2020

A former Boy Scouts Leader has been handed a 33-year prison sentence for sexually exploiting children via a social media app.

BOSTON – Matthew Murphy, 25, of Whitman, was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for the District of New Hampshire to 33 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty in January 2020 to five counts of sexual exploitation of children.

The investigation began in 2020 when law enforcement learned that Murphy, posing as a teenage girl, used a Snapchat account to extort nude photographs from a Massachusetts middle school boy. Agents obtained portions of the Snapchat account Murphy had created in the fake identity and uncovered evidence of similar extortion of dozens of other minors in the area.

Court records state that Murphy used five separate Snapchat accounts to sexually exploit at least 15 children. The disturbing revelation has raised concerns about the vulnerability of minors to online predators. Murphy knew some of the children and their families through his connection to local Boy Scouts troops.

Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell and Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston, made the announcement today. The Whitman Police Department provided valuable assistance with the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne Paruti, Mendell’s Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and Deputy Chief of the Major Crimes Unit, prosecuted the case. The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse.

Matthew Murphy, Defendant Information: Matthew Murphy, 25, of Whitman, MA; Charges: Five counts of sexual exploitation of children; Sentence: 33 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release; Location: Boston, Massachusetts; Date: January 2020 (plea), [yesterday] (sentencing); Mandatory Facts: (all included)