Matheson Still Not a Registered Sex Offender

Update February 29:

Patch spoke with Chris Hansen from the Public Prosecution Service in Nova Scotia, Canada on Wednesday. Hansen indicated that Sierra Madre resident Robert Matheson, 67, was convicted of smuggling and of child pornography possession, which is considered a sex offense in Canada.

However Matheson was not required to register as a sex offender in Canada because he is an American. Instead, his DNA was taken and stored in a national Canadian databank, said Hansen.

Matheson has still not been convicted of any crime stateside or been asked to register as a sex offender in California.

According to the National Guidelines for Sex Offender Registration and Notification, the U.S. recognizes sex offenders prosecuted in Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand courts.

The Sierra Madre Police Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement are still investigating Matheson, and have indicated that he is aware of the investigation.

Matheson was sentenced to 120 days in prison and was released last week. The minimum punishment for a sex crime in Canada is 45 days, and the max is 5 years.

February 28:

The and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are actively investigating Robert William Matheson, 67, the Sierra Madre resident who was found with thousands of pornographic images and videos of underage boys on his laptop while traveling to Nova Scotia, Canada in October. Matheson served four months in a Canadian jail for smuggling before returning to Sierra Madre last week.

Police Chief Larry Gianonne said Monday that the police department is waiting on documents from Canadian authorities.

ICE is also working on the case, but remain tight-lipped about the investigation.

"I understand there are community concerns," said Virginia Kice, spokesperson for ICE. Kice said that because this is a pending case, authorities are limited to what they can reveal. "I promise you, if at some point there’s more we can say publicly, we certainly will."

A case against Matheson has not been filed with the District Attorney’s office and he has not been asked to register as a sex offender in California. However, Matheson served four months in a Canadian jail and was asked to give a DNA sample for a Canadian national database.

Why Hasn’t Matheson Been Asked to Register as a Sex Offender?

In a sworn affidavit, Homeland Security Special Agent Ricardo J. Rodriguez indicated that Matheson pleaded guilty to smuggling, but did not mention anything about him pleading guilty to a sex offense. Update: Canadian authorities indicated Wednesday that Matheson was also convicted of possession of child pornography, which is considered a sex offense.

Chief Giannone said that the plea bargain Matheson took with Canadian authorities did not require him to register as a sex offender.

Canadian authorities were not available to comment on Matheson's plea bargain this morning. However, we will continue to follow up on this story, so stick with us. Update: Patch spoke with Canadian authorities Wednesday. See above for the latest.

According to the National Guidelines for Sex Offender Registration and Notification, the U.S.A. would recognize a sex offense conviction that occured in Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.

What Did Matheson Tell Canadian Authorities?

Matheson’s laptop was found to contain about 2,500 pornographic images involving underage boys, 285 pornographic videos of underage boys and short stories involving molestation of children when it was searched by Canadian officials at the Halifax Stanfield Airport in October.

Matheson told officials he was aware the images and videos on his computer were illegal, but he had not gotten around to deleting them. He said that the last time he searched for child pornography was “two to three years ago," according to the affidavit.

Matheson told officials he saw the porn as a “novelty” and that images of boys engaged in sex acts is OK as long as they’re not under duress.

According to the affidvait, Matheson's laptop was found to have:

• Instant message chats revealing his “wish to find a young man to pass as his son or grandson, and his belief that it would be an honor and privilege to guide and teach young boys through puberty.”

• 2,820 images ... 90 percent of them were found to be teenage boys engaged in sex acts.

• 285 videos of teenage males engaged in sexual activity, with 20 percent of the titles containing “young,” “twink” or “boy.” The file creation dates ranged from April 2009 to May 2011.

See the Special Agent's report in

Police searched Matheson’s home in December but have not revealed whether any child pornography-related photos or videos were found on his home computer.

According to the affidavit, Matheson's laptop was forfeited to Canadian authorities.

Patch reached Matheson at his home Saturday, but he declined to comment.

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