Stonington Man Faces Child Exploitation Charges: Feds

STONINGTON, CT — A Stonington man has been charged with child exploitation crimes, according to a statement from federal prosecutors. Matthew X. Smith, 28, was charged with attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor, attempted receipt of child pornography, solicitation of child pornography, and attempted enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.

According to prosecutors, Smith, using the Kik social media application, initiated contact with an FBI Online Covert Employee (“OCE”) who was posing as a 14-year-old girl in August. Smith sent sexually explicit messages to the OCE, requested the OCE send him sexually explicit pictures, and discussed meeting the OCE to engage in sexual conduct.

The Kik communication continued in the following days, and investigators also determined that Smith, using a different Kik user account, had engaged in sexually explicit exchanges with the OCE in 2020. Smith and the OCE agreed to meet Aug. 18, according to prosecutors.

This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com