Man Who Solicited Child Porn From Loudoun Girl Sentenced

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — A New York man who had previously pleaded guilty to soliciting explicit photos from a girl in Loudoun County has been sentenced. The man, Matthew Holland, was sentenced to 50 years in prison on Tuesday, Aug. 17.

The investigation began when the girl in Loudoun County reported to police that Holland had coerced her into sending inappropriate photos, authorities said. Holland was arrested in May 2020 after an investigation revealed dozens of other victims in Western New York and New Jersey.

From October 2019 to February 2020, Holland was employed as a teaching assistant at the Canandaigua YMCA in New York. He supervised children who were aged 3 to 12. On one occasion, Holland photographed five girls as they were changing out of their swimsuits in the YMCA locker room, the Department of Justice said.

Holland was also active on social media. Authorities said he would pose as a teenaged boy and engaged minors in sexually explicit conversations. Holland would solicit sexually explicit photos from the children, and would threaten to publish the photos online if victims did not send him more pornography, according to the news release.

The Department of Justice also said Holland secretly recorded children as they undressed at his photography studio, Illumination Images, in Newark. He used a hidden device to record children as they undressed in the studio's changing room, the news release said.

Holland pleaded guilty to production of child pornography and possession of child pornography involving prepubescent minors in March 2021.

Even after his sentencing, authorities are still looking to speak with other people who may have been victimized. "Anyone with information concerning Matthew Holland, Illumination Images, or Snapchat user 'Tjohnson755' is asked to contact Homeland Security Investigations at 716-464-6070 or via email at hsibuffalotips@ice.dhs.gov," the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office said.

The National Sexual Violence Resource Center can provide information about reporting and coping with sexual abuse. Their website also features training materials and tips to prevent sexual abuse.