PENSACOLA — Thomas E. Matassa, 24, of Gulf Breeze, pled guilty to receipt of child pornography, according to Christopher P. Canova, United States attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
In February 2016, a detective interviewed Matassa, who admitted to downloading child pornography online, according to a media release.
A forensic examination of Matassa’s laptop revealed approximately 200 images of child pornography and more than 30,000 chat messages with underage males to exchange videos and images of child sexual acts.
The defendant is detained, pending sentencing.
Matassa faces a maximum of 20 years and a minimum of five years in prison. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. June 29 at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola.
The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg is prosecuting the case.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Gulf Breeze man pleads guilty on child pornography charge