CLEVELAND – Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley announced that Matthew Elliott, 40, was sentenced to seven to 10 ½ years in prison for selling child sexual abuse material to an undercover special investigator.

“I am incredibly proud of the hard work that our Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force does to keep our children safe. This individual exploited children for profit and will pay the price behind bars.”

Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley

On October 14, 2020, an anonymous male reported seeing child sexual abuse materials on a website to the Berea Police Department (BPD). The BPD then referred the matter to the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (Ohio ICAC) for further investigation.

The special investigator viewed the website and discovered an advertisement, belonging to Matthew Elliot, selling child sexual abuse materials from Cleveland and Lakewood locations. The advertisement stated, “I have very nice videos available for whoever may be interested. I have some screen shots posted on here of what I have available.” On October 30, 2020, Elliott requested $200 from the special investigator. Once he received the money, Elliott sent hundreds of images containing child sexual abuse material to the special investigator.

An investigation conducted by the Ohio ICAC linked Matthew Elliott to the advertisement through IP address information and account information. Matthew Elliott was arrested on December 17, 2020.

On September 9, 2021, Elliott pleaded guilty to the following charges:

  • 18 counts of Pandering Sexually Oriented Matter Involving a Minor

Elliott was sentenced to seven to 10 ½ years in prison and will be listed as a Tier II Sex Offender (25-year registration – must register every 180 days). Elliott was sentenced under “The Reagan Tokes Law,” which implements an indefinite sentencing system for non-life felonies of the first and second degree in which the judge imposes both a minimum term (from the current sentencing range) and a maximum term (that includes an additional 50% of the minimum term imposed). The Ohio Department of Corrections will review the case and Elliott’s behavior after he has served seven years and will make a determination as to whether he should be released.