LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - A North Platte man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for conspiracy and production of child pornography.
Mathew Goad, 34, was sentenced Thursday in Lincoln's federal court and ordered to undergo a lifetime of supervision upon his release from prison, federal prosecutors for Nebraska said. He must also register as a sex offender and pay $3,600 in restitution.
The investigation into Goad began when a March 2019 search of a home in Kansas City, Missouri, in another child sex case turned up messages Goad and the Kansas City resident had exchanged. In the messages, Goad said he had sexually assaulted a child and recorded it, then sent a video recording of the assault to the Kansas City resident. Further investigation revealed that Goad and a co-defendant, 29-year-old Cory Preitauer of North Platte, were both involved in the production of the video. Preitauer will be sentenced at a later date.
Prosecutors say a search of electronic devices seized from Goad turned up about 3,400 images and 800 videos of child pornography.
US Attorney's Office News Release
OMAHA, Neb.-
United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Mathew S. Goad, 34, of North Platte, Nebraska, was sentenced today in Lincoln, Nebraska, by Chief United States District Judge John M. Gerrard for conspiracy and production of child pornography. Goad was sentenced to 40 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release. He will also be required to register as a sex offender and pay $3,600 in restitution. There is no parole in the federal system.
In March of 2019, a state search warrant was served at the home of a target living in Kansas City, Missouri. During a forensic examination of the computer seized in the Kansas City investigation, the examiners located screenshots of a chat between the Kansas City target and Mathew Goad. During the chat, Goad indicated he had sexually assaulted a child and recorded that assault. Goad then sent the recording to the target. Further investigation revealed that Goad and his co-defendant, Cory Preitauer, were both involved in the production of the video. Preitauer will be sentenced at a later date.
After his arrest, Goad admitted to the production and distribution of the video during an interview with law enforcement. Agents conducted a forensic examination of electronic devices owned by Goad that were seized at the time of his arrest. There were approximately 3,400 image files and 800 video files of child pornography recovered from Goad’s laptop computer.
U.S. Attorney Kelly added, “The actions of Goad and his co-defendant will have a lifelong effect on this young victim. Today’s sentence sends a powerful message to those who prey on the most vulnerable of children.”
“The terrible and deliberate acts of this individual hurt both the victim and victim’s family. While this sentence will never remove this hurt, it should reassure the public that the FBI will vigorously pursue child predators until justice is served and children are rescued,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Kristi Johnson.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.