Newport News, Va. – In a grim development in the fight against online predators, Edward Joseph Matish III, 25, of Williamsburg, has pleaded guilty to charges related to child pornography involving a prepubescent minor.
According to court documents, Matish was an active member of Playpen, an underground website dedicated to sharing explicit content involving children, which operated on the Tor network from August 2014 until March 2015. The defendant accessed this site between October 2014 and March 2015, viewing disturbing images of child exploitation.
In a chilling revelation, Matish posted on Playpen that he used the site to control his attraction to young girls, urging others to join him in their “relief” at the risk of everything. This admission only adds to the gravity of his actions.
Indicted by a federal grand jury on February 8, Matish now faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison when he is sentenced on January 30, 2017. The sentencing will be determined by the court based on advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors, as dictated by Congress.
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Dana J. Boente, and Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, Jonathan F. Trimble, announced the plea agreement after it was accepted by U.S. District Judge Henry Coke Morgan, Jr. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin C. Gratton is handling the prosecution.
For more information on this case and related court documents, visit the websites of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia or the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, or search PACER using Case No. 4:16cr16.
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Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Cybercrime|Sex Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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