Michigan man gets 38 years in federal prison for distributing child pornography
(CBS DETROIT) - An Ottawa County man has been sentenced to 38 years in federal prison for distributing and attempting to distribute child pornography, officials said.
Matthew James Warne, 34, of Zeeland, will also be required to spend 10 years on supervised release after completing his prison sentence.
"Every day of this sentence against Mr. Warne is deserved, but it hardly begins to undo the harm against the innocent and vulnerable children who are the victim of this crime," said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. "Each image of child pornography that Warne possessed and distributed represents the sexual abuse of a real child. Our efforts to prosecute people who commit these crimes will continue and those who commit these types of crimes will face a similar fate."
Officials say authorities responded to Warne's workplace after receiving a report about him inappropriately filming in a bathroom.
After investigating, police discovered that Warne shared thousands of images and videos of child pornography online through Telegram, a social media application.
He used this app to talk to others about child pornography and send images and videos. He pleaded guilty in this case on March 30.
This comes after two other convictions, which include:
- A 2013 state conviction for third-degree criminal sexual conduct
- A 2018 state conviction for criminal sexual conduct- assault with intent to commit sexual penetration
Officials say Warne was on parole when he distributed the child pornography.
"The significant sentence, in this case, underscores the importance of keeping innocent children safe from dangerous predators and serves as a warning to those individuals who prey upon the most vulnerable in our society," said Devin J. Kowalski, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. "Distributing child abuse images repeatedly victimizes a child and the FBI will dedicate resources to investigating anyone who commits crimes of this nature."