Ex-deputy admits to child porn charges
PHILADELPHIA >> A Souderton man who once worked as a Montgomery County deputy sheriff admitted to possessing and distributing child pornography, amassing nearly 4,000 images, and awaits his fate from a federal judge.
Matthew Benjamin Laver, 38, of the 200 block of East Summit Street, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia on Monday to multiple counts of distribution, receipt and possession of child pornography in connection with incidents that occurred in
2018.
U.S. District Judge Michael M. Baylson set a Jan. 6 sentencing date for Laver, who remains in federal custody pending sentencing.
Laver faces a possible maximum sentence of 80 years in prison on the charges. However, federal sentencing guidelines could allow for a lesser sentence of between 151 and 188 months in prison, according to officials.
Laver also faces a fiveyear mandatory minimum sentence on the charges.
“The harm caused by child exploitation is devastating and long-lasting, which is why we prosecute these cases aggressively,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams said. “In this case, the conduct was particularly egregious because the defendant was a member of a law enforcement organization charged with enforcing the law.”
With the charges, authorities alleged Laver trafficked in child pornography that depicted children as young as infants being sexually assaulted and raped, and that he did so during the time he was employed as a county deputy sheriff.
The investigation, according to prosecutors, surrounded Laver’s collection of nearly 4,000 images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children and his distribution of images to other users over the Internet for about 10 years.
Laver previously was employed as a deputy sheriff about 10 years ago but was no longer employed by the office at the time of his arrest by county authorities last November.
County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele initially announced Laver’s arrest last November, along with Bucks County District
Attorney Matthew Weintraub, Abington Township Police Chief Patrick Molloy and the Pennsylvania Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. The original arrest affidavit was filed by Abington Township Detective Rick Beaghley, a special county detective who investigates Internet crimes against children.
However, the county prosecution ultimately was transferred to federal authorities in March when Laver was federally indicted. At that point, Laver’s prosecution was solely in the hands of federal prosecutors.
Essentially, the case was transferred to federal authorities because Laver’s crimes involved materials “that had been mailed and shipped and transported in and affecting interstate and foreign commerce,” according to court documents.
The federal case was investigated by the Department
“In this case, the conduct was particularly egregious because the defendant was a member of a law enforcement organization charged with enforcing the law.” — First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams
of Homeland Security. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eileen Zelek and Michelle Rotella are prosecuting the case.
The initial investigation of Laver began in September 2018 when Bucks County authorities shared information with Montgomery County detectives about child pornography allegedly being downloaded from a computer at Laver’s home.
On July 30 into July 31, investigators using a file-sharing program connected to Laver’s computer and downloaded nine files containing child pornography, Beaghley alleged in the original criminal complaint. All of the files contained videos or images depicting children under 18 engaged in sexual acts or poses, according to the arrest affidavit.
Detectives obtained a warrant to search Laver’s home on Oct. 25, court papers indicate. Numerous electronics devices were seized during the search.
Laver was at home when detectives showed up and he subsequently agreed to speak with investigators.
During the interview, Laver allegedly admitted to installing filing sharing software on his laptop computer and to downloading child pornography from the Internet, according to the arrest affidavit. Laver estimated he had more than 100 child pornography files on a computer and an external hard drive attached to the computer, detectives alleged.
“Laver admitted that he had masturbated to the child pornography files,” Beaghley alleged in the arrest affidavit.
The federal case was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce sexual crimes against children. The Department of Justice and federal prosecutors work in partnership with federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locallybased strategies to reduce sexual crimes against children.
“We stand ready with our federal and local partners to identify and prosecute all those who would prey upon minor children,” Williams said.