Tonto Basin Resident Charged with Transporting a Minor for Criminal Sexual Activity

PHOENIX, Ariz. – A federal grand jury in Phoenix yesterday returned an indictment against Brian Matthew Griffeth, 48, of Tonto Basin, Arizona, for Transporting a Minor with Intent that the Minor Engage in Criminal Sexual Activity. 

The indictment alleges that between December 2023 and July 3, 2026, Griffeth transported a minor between Arizona and Florida with the intent that the minor engage in criminal sexual activity, including production of child pornography.

According to the previously filed criminal complaint, the FBI opened an investigation in November 2025 into Griffeth’s purported sexual abuse of the minor. Through the investigation, law enforcement learned that Griffeth had allegedly committed sexual acts with the minor when they were 13 and living in Arizona, and continued that abuse until the minor was 16, sometimes recording the interactions. During that time, Griffeth moved with his family and the minor to Florida.

A conviction for Transportation of a Minor for Criminal Sexual Activity carries a minimum penalty of 10 years, and a maximum penalty of life, a maximum of $250,000 fine, and a maximum term of supervised release of life. 

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country and 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, visit justice.gov/PSC. 

The FBI’s Phoenix Division conducted the investigation, with assistance from the FBI’s Jacksonville office and the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.

Indictments and criminal complaints are formal accusations of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

CASE NUMBER:            26-MJ-04268-PCT-CDB; 26-CR-01063-PHX-SPL
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-154_Griffeth

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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