Evergreen Reporter

Matthew Allyn McDaniel, a 39-year-old resident of Mobile, Alabama, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison following guilty pleas to two counts of attempting to sexually exploit a minor. McDaniel entered his pleas on August 29, 2024.

Court documents reveal that in December 2023, law enforcement was alerted by an internet service provider about an online storage account linked to an address in Theodore, Alabama. The account contained child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and was associated with the email address "pedvid7@gmail.com." On December 12, 2023, authorities executed a state search warrant on this account and found approximately 249 videos of CSAM.

A subsequent search warrant was issued on January 9, 2024, for the residence tied to the email and storage account. McDaniel was present at the location where officers recovered a cell phone from under his mattress. During questioning, McDaniel admitted ownership of the phone and confessed to hiding it upon law enforcement's arrival. Forensic analysis of the phone revealed additional evidence including email addresses ranging from pedvid1@gmail.com through pedvid15@gmail.com. The phone also contained around 25 images of CSAM and seven images taken via a hidden bathroom camera depicting two different minor females aged 13 at the time.

Chief United States District Judge Beaverstock handed down a sentence of 360 months imprisonment followed by a supervised release term of 15 years. During incarceration, McDaniel will undergo sex offender treatment as well as substance abuse testing and treatment alongside mental health therapy. Upon release, he must register as a sex offender and avoid contact with minors. Additionally, McDaniel is required to pay $200 in special assessments and $1,337 in restitution to his victims.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kacey Chappelear and Tandice Blackwood prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood initiated by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide through federal coordination efforts involving state resources for prosecution while identifying rescuing victims involved within such crimes across America today."