LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- An Elizabethtown man who was originally arrested on more than 100 child pornography-related charges will spend 25 years in federal prison as a result of federal charges stemming from that investigation.
According to a news release, U.S. District Judge David Hale handed down the sentence Monday for 34-year-old Matthew Lyons, followed by a lifetime of supervised release.Â
The sentence comes after a plea agreement in which Lyons pled guilty to multiple counts of online enticement of a minor, production of child pornography, sex trafficking of minors and distribution and possession of child pornography.
There is no parole in the federal system.
Investigators say that in April 2020, the Radcliff Police Department got a call from a grandparent who said at least one minor was posting on social media about engaging in sexual activity with an adult in exchange for money.Â
An investigation was launched and a police detective interviewed two 14-year-old boys and examined their smart devices with their guardians' consent. Authorities say they determined that Lyons was the perpetrator.
After seizing Lyons' iPhone, investigators say they found more than 1,500 image and video files depicting some form of child pornography.
"Further examination of Lyons' iPhone confirmed Lyons' communication with at least one 14-year-old boy on a social media app," the news release states. "On or about April 1, 2020, Lyons traveled to a convenience store and met two 14-year-old boys. Lyons picked up the boys in his 2017 Chevrolet Silverado truck and drove them to a Dollar General parking lot where sex acts occurred, and videos were taken, in exchange for money."
Investigators say they also found a Feb. 16, 2020 conversation between Lyons and a 16-year-old boy in which the boy sent images and videos of himself engaged in sex acts.Â
Lyons also engaged in a chat conversation with an adult, Robert Alan Thompson, of Hodgenville, in which he sent Thompson child pornography and the men discussed their mutual interest in boys, according to the news release.
Thompson was an eighth-grade math teacher at West Hardin Middle School at the time. He was arrested and originally charged with two counts of possession of child pornography. After his arrest, Thompson was fired from his teaching role.
Prosecutors applauded Judge Hale's sentencing ruling on Monday.
"The defendant targeted and exploited vulnerable victims and will now spend more than two decades in federal prison and upon release be under close federal supervision for the rest of his life -- a substantial sentence and strong message to others who consider engaging in similar conduct," said Acting U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett, in a statement. "As a result of the outstanding work and dedication of AUSA Lawless, the Kentucky Attorney General's Office, the Radcliff Police Department, the Elizabethtown Police Department, and the United States Secret Service, Kentucky kids are safer and our citizens once again well-served by the men and women of law enforcement."
"We have no higher calling than to protect our children, and this sentence should send a message that the exploitation of our youngest citizens will not be tolerated in the Commonwealth," said Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, in a statement. "Law enforcement at every level worked together to investigate and prosecute these heinous crimes, and I'm grateful for the unwavering commitment of Acting U.S. Attorney Bennett, our Department of Criminal Investigations Investigator Mike Littrell, the Elizabethown and Radcliff Police Departments, and the U.S. Secret Service to pursue justice on behalf of the victims."
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