Nebraska Man Sentenced to Prison for Distribution of Child Pornography

A Nebraska man was sentenced to eight years in prison today for distribution of child pornography, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Joseph P. Kelly of the District of Nebraska.

Matthew J. Rouse, 38, of Lincoln, Nebraska, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography on March 5.  Rouse was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Laurie Smith Camp of the District of Nebraska, who ordered him to serve five years of supervised release following his prison sentence.

According to the admissions made in connection with his guilty plea, Rouse was a sergeant with the Army National Guard in Lincoln, Nebraska, when he befriended a 16-year-old high school student from Omaha, Nebraska.  Beginning in September 2016 and continuing to January 2017, Rouse traveled to Omaha on multiple occasions and engaged in sexual relations with the minor.  Rouse used his phone to video-record their sexual encounter and sent the videos to the minor over the Internet.  Nebraska State Patrol began an investigation into Rouse’s conduct and Rouse was arrested in Lincoln on Feb. 10, 2017 on state charges stemming from this investigation. He was indicted in federal court on Feb. 22, 2017. 

The case was investigated by the Nebraska State Police.  Trial Attorney Nadia Prinz of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael P. Norris of the District of Nebraska prosecuted the case.

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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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.justice.gov/psc.