On April 18, a military judge sentenced Army Sgt. Dustin R. Matthews, 27, to 12 months and one day of confinement and a bad conduct discharge from the Army for the distribution of child pornography.
Based on information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, along with German law enforcement, a cell phone was seized from Matthews’ barracks room in Wiesbaden, Germany, on June 9, 2023, pursuant to a military search authorization. The device contained images of child pornography and Matthews confessed to the offenses in June 2023, stating he used a virtual private network to conceal his actions.
On April 18, Matthews pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography as part of a plea agreement. He admitted to sending child pornography using his personal cell phone and social media pages in January 2023.
“The expeditious resolution of this case is a testament to a team of outstanding professionals and a great step for the Office of Special Trial Counsel and the 8th Circuit,” said Capt. Noah Stochl, lead trial counsel.
“I applaud the efforts of our trial team and the OSTC Kaiserslautern Field Office Chief Maj. Sara Nicholson in bringing this case to a successful conclusion. This conviction is a testament to the efforts of German police and U.S. military law enforcement, along with OSTC personnel,” said Lt. Col. Jeremy Stephens, the chief circuit special trial counsel for Europe. “It is a reminder to commanders, Soldiers, and the public that OSTC stands ready to prosecute offenses around the world.”
Matthews, who joined the Army in 2014, will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life.
This is the first case OSTC referred for court martial in Europe since becoming fully operational on Dec. 28, 2023.
This case was prosecuted by Capt. Noah Stochl, Eighth Circuit, OSTC and Capt. Paul Wagdalt, U.S. Army Europe and Africa. It was investigated by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division and German civilian law enforcement authorities, who were the initial investigators on the case, along with assistance from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
| Date Taken: | 04.22.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 04.22.2024 13:12 |
| Story ID: | 469142 |
| Location: | KAISERSLAUTERN, DE |
| Web Views: | 175 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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