On Sept. 9 former Montgomery County Sheriff’s Officer Matthew Laver, 38, entered a plea of guilty before United States District Judge to multiple counts of distribution, receipt, and possession of child pornography. Laver was a officer in Souderton, Pennsylvania.
According to reports from NBC, Laver was indicted in March 2019 after an investigation into his collection of almost 4,000 images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children that he downloaded and distributed to other users on the internet over approximately ten years.
The investigation revealed that Laver trafficked in child pornography that depicted children as young as infants being sexually assaulted and raped, and that he did so during the time that he was employed as a Montgomery County Sheriff’s Officer. Homeland Security Investigations special agents worked closely with law enforcement partners to further prevent this Laver from victimizing children by distributing images of sexual assault.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Williams says:
“The harm caused by child exploitation is devastating and long-lasting, which is why we prosecute these cases aggressively. In this case, the conduct was particularly egregious because the defendant was a member of a law enforcement organization charged with enforcing the law. We stand ready with our federal and local partners to identify and prosecute all those who would prey upon minor children.”