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Hagerstown resident Matthew Molnar was sentenced to 30 years in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release for the sexual exploitation of a child.
According to prosecutors, in 2015, Molnar was convicted of possession of child pornography, and between 2020 and 2021, he was in touch with a minor in Florida, who he coerced into producing sexually explicit videos for him.
He later traveled to visit the minor, claiming that he was 17 years old and studying pre-law.
Molnar's subterfuge continued in February 2022, when he began speaking with a minor in Maryland, exchanging explicit messages before having sex with her on multiple occasions, court documents say.
During a subsequent search warrant at Molnar’s Hagerstown home, investigators found multiple sexually explicit files that included the minor, and while reviewing his devices, it was determined that he had distributed child porn.
In addition to his prison term, a judge also ordered that Molnar pay $18,000 in restitution, and upon his release, he will have to register as a sex offender wherever he works, studies, or lives.
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