Lakewood man sentenced for child porn, failure to register as offender
TOMS RIVER – A Lakewood man has been sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to possessing child pornography and failing to register as a sex offender, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced Monday.
Matthew Robles, 32, was sentenced to seven years New Jersey State Prison with a five-year period of parole ineligibility as a result of his previously entered guilty plea to distribution of child pornography, Billhimer said. Additionally, Robles was sentenced to three years in prison as a result of his previously entered guilty plea for failure to register as a Megan’s Law offender.
The sentences will run concurrently, according to Billhimer. Robles pled guilty to the charges on May 15, 2023.
An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Megan’s Law Unit revealed that Robles – a Megan’s Law registrant under the supervision of the New Jersey Division of Parole – had been employed at a local business in Brick Township without registering or notifying any law enforcement agencies, the prosecutor said. Since 1994, Megan’s Law requires certain offenders to register with their local police departments whenever they move and/or change their residential address or place of employment.
On July 26, 2022, parole officers conducted a home visit and found images of child pornography on Robles’ cell phone, Billhimer said. Robles was taken to the Ocean County jail for various violations of his parole and all of his electronic devices were seized by law enforcement for forensic examination.
On July 28, 2022, detectives executed a court-authorized search warrant on Robles’ electronic devices and found that Robles had been uploading and sharing images of child pornography on the internet through the WhatsApp app, according to the prosecutor. On August 5, 2022, Robles was served with a complaint initially charging him with failure to register as a sex offender. Three days later, he was served with an additional complaint charging him with distribution of child pornography.
Robles was initially lodged in New Jersey State Prison as a result of his parole violations, but was moved on July 25, 2023, to the Ocean County Jail, where he was detained until sentencing.