Source: US FBI
ANCHORAGE – A Wasilla man was sentenced today to 37 months in federal prison for possessing child pornography in his home. According to court documents, Matthew William Schwier, 39, knowingly possessed over 100 still images and multiple videos depicting children being sexually abused. Schwier pled guilty on August 31, 2022, to knowingly possessing child pornography. After serving his sentence, Schwier will be on federal supervised release for 7 years. Schwier will have to pay $15,000.00 in restitution to his victims. Schwier must register as a sex offender and, after release, may not access the internet without permission of the U.S. Probation Office.
Schwier’s child pornography collection, which spanned multiple computers, included images depicting the sexual abuse of infants or toddlers, as well as children being violently abused. The evidence indicates that Schwier may have used specialized law enforcement training, and his advanced computer skills, to facilitate and attempt to hide his crimes.
Schwier’s previous employment included jobs in technical support, computer repair, and as a supervisor of video surveillance for a private security company. He failed to complete probationary employment as a police officer in Phoenix, Arizona; Roswell, New Mexico; and Elk Point, South Dakota, before working as a police officer in Nome, Alaska. The FBI investigation began in approximately 2016 when Schwier distributed child pornography to an undercover law enforcement officer over the internet. Schwier was employed as Justice Director for the Chickaloon Village Traditional Counsel when he was arrested in 2017. The Government indicated that, if this case had gone to trial, the prosecution was prepared to present evidence that Schwier had a reputation within the law enforcement community of being untruthful.
“The Department of Justice will relentlessly pursue, arrest, and prosecute offenders who traffic in child pornography,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker of the District of Alaska. “This case demonstrates that the U.S. Attorney’s Office will hold criminals accountable without fear or favor, including corrupt former law enforcement officers like Mr. Schwier.”
“May this sentencing serve as a reminder that no one is above the law, and concealing evidence of child exploitation will not go undetected,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Donald W. Lee II of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “As these crimes perpetuate the re-victimization of innocent children, the FBI remains steadfast in its commitment to identify and hold accountable those who contribute to the online sexual exploitation of children.”
The court proceedings were delayed for years for several reasons, including the COVID pandemic. Over the six years the case was active, it was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Alexander, Charisse Arce, Kelly Cavanaugh, Kyle Reardon, Christopher Schroeder, and Jonas Walker. The FBI investigated the case.
This case was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
Please report online child exploitation to the FBI. https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/parents-and-caregivers-protecting-your-kids#:~:text=To%20report%20online%20child%20sexual,%2D800%2D843%2D5678.