A man that federal authorities said was distributing child pornography from a coffee shop in Tracy, Calif., has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison by a Chattanooga judge.
Matthew John Jurado, 52, appeared before Judge Travis McDonough. He pleaded guilty to causing another person to possess child pornography.
Authorities said the case was heard here because the defendant’s activities and identity were discovered by a member of the Chattanooga Crimes Against Children Task Force, when the defendant distributed child pornography to an undercover Task Force officer.
Jurado is a registered sex offender with a prior conviction for child pornography.
Authorities said members of the Chattanooga Task Force arrested a second individual who had traveled to Chattanooga with the intent to engage in sex with a minor. Law enforcement agents seized the cell phone belonging to that individual, and found that it contained child pornography that had been sent by Jurado.
U.S. Attorney J. Douglas Overbey said, “Information sharing among local and federal agencies across the country can bring dangerous criminals to justice. Every child deserves to grow up without the fear, humiliation, and trauma of being the victim of sexual exploitation. If you engage in production of child pornography or dissemination of child pornography in the Eastern District of Tennessee, you will be caught and serve significant time in prison. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to aggressively pursue the predators in this world who seek to abuse the most innocent among us.”
FBI’s Special Agent in Charge Joe Carrico said, "Those who prey on children, whether they live in Tennessee or around the world, will be found, will be investigated and will be prosecuted. The FBI along with our local, state, and federal partners remain committed to protect our community and hold those accountable whose desire is to harm, abuse, and victimize our most precious resource, our children.”
The criminal indictment and plea agreement are the result of an ongoing investigation by the Chattanooga Crimes Against Children Task Force, which consists of agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HIS), the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department, and the Chattanooga Police Department.
This investigation was led by Special Agent Samuel Moore with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney James T. Brooks represented the United States