A Broussard man has been sentenced to more than 17 years in prison on a child pornography case.
Matthew Matherne, 46, pleaded guilty to production of child pornography in the case. He was sentenced to 17 years, six months in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release.
Prosecutors say Matherne met a 15-year-old girl online in November 2023. In December, he traveled to the state where the child lived, and brought her back to the Lafayette area with him. He took pictures of her engaging in sexual activity with him, and pictures of her naked and partially naked. After several weeks, the girl called her mother and told her where she was; the mother called Lafayette Police and they found her.
Lafayette Police got a search warrant for the place where Matherne was living, and found his cell phone with the images of the girl. He pleaded guilty in May 2024.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Lafayette Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney J. Luke Walker.
