EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – Bradley L. Matthews, 40, of Vandalia, Illinois, was sentenced on May 4,
2022, to 60 months imprisonment for distributing child pornography.
According to the stipulation of facts agreed to by the parties, Matthews came to the attention of
law enforcement in February 2019 during an FBI undercover internet investigation of
child pornography. During the investigation, an undercover officer engaged in a
conversation with Matthews during which he sent the undercover officer three videos depicting
child pornography.
In an interview with law enforcement on September 5, 2019, Matthews admitted distributing child
pornography. When shown the printout of the conversation with the undercover officer that took
place on February 5, 2019, Matthews identified himself as the person in the profile picture and
admitted that he was the person who had engaged in the conversation with the undercover officer and
distributed the child pornography videos.
In addition to the 60-month term of imprisonment, Matthews will serve a ten-year term
of supervised release, fined $200, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May
2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and
abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child
Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and
local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and
to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood,
please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety
education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation-Springfield Field Office.
Assistant United States Attorney Angela Scott prosecuted the case.