Tennessee Man Sentenced to More than Five Years for Transporting and Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material

Orlando, Florida – Matthew Leach (41, Tennessee) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron to 65 months in federal prison for the transportation and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The court also ordered Leach to forfeit a cellphone, which was used to commit the offense. Leach pleaded guilty on January 20, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, Leach encountered law enforcement when his cellphone was searched upon his departure from a cruise ship. During that search, law enforcement found images and videos of CSAM. Leach admitted that he had received or downloaded CSAM on various internet platforms and to having the material on his cellphone prior to going on the cruise. A subsequent forensic review of Leach’s cellphone uncovered hundreds of images and videos of CSAM.

This case was investigated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Noah Dorman and Courtney Richardson-Jones. The forfeiture was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole Andrejko.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. 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 locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.