ELIZABETH MAN SENTENCED TO 25 YEARS IN PRISON FOR SEX CRIMES INVOLVING CHILDREN

Josephine Rodriguez ABOUT SEX OFFENDERS AND OTHERS, CHILD PORNOGRAPHY, GOOD POLICING CATCHES SEX OFFENDERS AND OTHERS, HUMAN TRAFFICKING, INTERNET OFFENDER CASES, KENTUCKY, PARKING AREAS, SENTENCING, SEX OFFENDERS AND OTHERS APPREHENDED, SEX OFFENDERS AND OTHERS COMMITTING RANDOM SEX CRIMES, SEX OFFENDERS AND OTHERS WHO REOFFEND, TRAFFICKING CHILDREN

March 2, 2021
Juan Sanchez
WLKY

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — An Elizabethtown man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison followed by lifetime supervised release for his exploitation of underage boys.

Matthew Alexander Lyons, 34, was sentenced this week following his conviction on multiple counts of online enticement of a minor, production of child pornography, sex trafficking of minors and distribution/possession of child pornography, acting U.S. Attorney Michael Bennett announced.

According to a statement from Bennett's office from the Western District of Kentucky, the investigation into Lyons began last year when a grandparent of one of the minors reported the child engaging in sexual activity with an adult in exchange for money.

Two 14-year-old boys were interviewed by Radcliff police who reviewed the content that led them to Lyons who had already previously been convicted in 2008 for attempted prohibited use of electronic communication system to procure a minor for sex.

The Kentucky Attorney General's Office and the Elizabethtown Police Department assisted in the investigation.

Lyon's iPhone was reviewed and more than 1,500 images and videos found to be child sexual abuse material were stored and pin-code protected on his device. Investigators said the images and videos were stored in more than 250 categorized folders.

According to a news release, detectives also learned that Lyons used a social media app to communicate with at least one 14-year-old boy. In April 2020, Lyons went to a convenience store, where he met two 14-year-old boys and then drove them to a Dollar General parking lot, officials said.

In the parking lot, Lyons and the boys engaged in sex acts that were recorded in exchange for money, officials said.

In another instance in February 2020, Lyons requested photos and videos from a 16-year-old boy engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Lyons also shared the content with another adult, according to investigators.

"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," Bennett said.

Lyons' arrest was first announced in April 2020 by Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron's office.

Additional details about the case were not released.

https://www.wlky.com/article/1931-history-star-spangled-banner-becomes-us-national-anthem/31213341

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