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 his release from prison, Trax will be subject to 10 years of federal supervised release.
Court documents revealed that Trax enticed a 14-year-old girl to engage in sexually explicit conduct so he could produce visual depictions of the acts. He then sent the minor images and a video of himself engaged in sexual intercourse with her, which he had recorded on his phone.
Before delivering the sentence, Judge Hardy said: “Trax’s federal offense was extremely serious and noted how such conduct victimizes the most vulnerable members of our community—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 prosecuted the case for the government.
Acting United States Attorney Rivetti recognized the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Mt. Lebanon Police Department, South Fayette Police Department, and Allegheny County Police Department for their roles in investigating and prosecuting Trax.
The case was part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative started by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to address child sexual exploitation and abuse by bringing together resources at various levels of law enforcement. More information about Project Safe Childhood is available at www.justice.gov/psc.
