HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – After a one-day trial, a federal jury convicted Matthew Corban Hagy, 51, of Memphis, Tennessee, of production and possession of child pornography.
Evidence at trial revealed Hagy traveled from Tennessee to Putnam County, West Virginia, as the caretaker for a man visiting family in Poca during the week of Christmas 2020. While there, Hagy took nude photographs of a 5-year-old boy and produced a graphic video of the boy. A search of Hagy’s phone revealed more than 700 additional images and videos of child pornography. In a statement given to police, Hagy admitted that he took a picture of the boy, but denied doing anything inappropriate. The jury found Hagy guilty on both counts of the indictment.
Hagy is scheduled to be sentenced on September 6, 2022. He faces at least 15 years and up to 50 years in prison, and a term of supervised release of at least five years and up to life. Hagy will also be required to register as a sex offender.
“That this individual preyed upon a minor child during the holidays makes his awful crimes all the more heinous,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson. “I thank the U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department, the South Charleston Police Department, and the Secret Service for their excellent investigative work in this case. I also commend Assistant United States Attorneys Julie White and Greg McVey and the trial team for prosecuting the case and securing guilty verdicts on all counts.”
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the trial. This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s 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 those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:21-cr-99.
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