Matthew Ryan Mullins, Child Pornography, Kentucky 2022

A Lexington Man Sentenced for Child Pornography

A Lexington man, Matthew Ryan Mullins, 29, was sentenced to 168 months in prison for receiving and possessing child pornography.

According to his plea agreement, on June 21, 2022, law enforcement identified Mullins during an investigation into online groups involving the receipt and distribution of child pornography. Mullins admitted to exchanging large amounts of child sexual abuse material with others across the world using various online platforms. Over 3,300 images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children were found on his phone.

Under federal law, Mullins must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 20 years.

The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Kentucky State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Roth is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

The U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

The sentence was announced by Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Rana Saoud, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Col. Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edky/pr/lexington-man-sentenced-receiving-and-possessing-child-pornography