A Bridgeville, Pennsylvania resident has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for producing child sexual abuse material. The sentencing was announced by Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti.
Matthew A. Trax, 25, received the sentence from United States District Judge W. Scott Hardy. After serving his prison term, Trax will be under federal supervised release for an additional 10 years.
Court documents revealed that Trax persuaded a 14-year-old girl to engage in sexually explicit acts so he could create visual recordings of the conduct. He then sent images and a video of himself engaged in sexual intercourse with the minor, which he had recorded on his phone.
Before handing down the sentence, Judge Hardy commented on the seriousness of the offense and its impact on children. “Judge Hardy further stated that the imposed federal sentence serves to not only punish the defendant for his conduct and to protect the community, but to also deter Trax and other individuals who may seek to exploit children from engaging in such conduct.”
Assistant United States Attorney Nicole A. Stockey led the prosecution in this case.
Acting U.S. Attorney Rivetti acknowledged several law enforcement agencies for their role in investigating and prosecuting Trax: “Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Mt. Lebanon Police Department, South Fayette Police Department, and Allegheny County Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Trax.”
The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at fighting child sexual exploitation and abuse by coordinating efforts among federal, state, and local authorities (https://www.justice.gov/psc).
