Matthew Murphy, Sexually Exploiting Children, Massachusetts 2023

A federal grand jury in Boston has indicted a 22-year-old Massachusetts man, Matthew Murphy, for engaging in a heinous crime that has left the community shaken. Murphy, a resident of Whitman, was charged with five counts of sexual exploitation of children after a thorough investigation by law enforcement officials.

According to the indictment, Murphy used multiple Snapchat accounts to extort nude photographs from minors in the area. The investigation began in March 2019 after Murphy, posing as a teenage girl, used a Snapchat account to extort a Massachusetts middle school boy. Agents obtained evidence of similar extortion of other minors in the area and uncovered evidence of Murphy’s illicit activities.

Matthew Murphy, 22, has been in custody since his arrest in March 2019. An arraignment date has not yet been scheduled. The indictment charges Murphy with using five separate Snapchat accounts to sexually exploit children.

The charges of sexual exploitation of children each provide for a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years and no greater than 30 years in prison, a minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Jason Molina, Acting 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, Lelling’s Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and a member of the Major Crimes Unit, is prosecuting the case.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.

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.

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