Prison time for Colorado man who enticed Orange County minor

WHITE PLAINS - A Colorado man was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty in federal court to enticement of an Orange County minor.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced the sentence for Matthew Mills, 32, of Aurora, Colorado on Wednesday.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office,

Mills allegedly exchanged text messages with the child, who was 11 at the time, on July 30 and/or 31, 2020. In those text messages, Mills allegedly directed the child to take sexually explicit photographs and videos and send them to Mills.

Mills was charged with coercion and enticement of a minor, a violaton of the U.S. Code.

Earlier in 2020, Mills had pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child, a felony, in Colorado. Mills was sentenced to an eight-year term of probation and was required to register as a sex offender in Colorado.

He pleaded guilty to the federal charge on Sept. 29, 2023.

In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Nelson Roman sentenced Mills to a lifetime of supervised release after he is released from prison.

Damian Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, praised the joint investigation by the FBI and its Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force, the Orange County Sheriff's Office and the Denver Police Department,

which led to Mills' arrest.

"Today's lengthy sentence ensures that Mills will face justice for his reprehensible conduct," Williams said in a statement released by his office.

Attorneys for Mills could not immediately be reached for comment.