Repeat Sex Offender Convicted of Second Federal Child Pornography Offense

DETROIT – A federal jury today convicted the former resident of a Detroit residential reentry center of receiving child pornography, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced today.

Joining Ison in the announcement was James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The trial, which began on Wednesday, February 22, 2023, was conducted before United States District Judge Terrence G. Berg. 

According to the evidence presented at trial, in June 2009, United States District Judge Robert H. Cleland sentenced Matthew Mercer-Kinser, now 36, to serve 151 months in custody for transporting child pornography. In July 2019, the Bureau of Prisons designated Mercer-Kinser to serve the final months of this sentence in a Detroit residential reentry center (RRC). While at the RRC, Mercer-Kinser sent numerous sexually explicit text messages to a minor relative. A concerned adult learned of these communications and reported Mercer-Kinser to the FBI. Execution of a search warrant for Mercer-Kinser’s smartphone revealed several images of child pornography and numerous disturbing communications demonstrating Mercer-Kinser’s continued, prolific sexual interest in children. When Mercer-Kinser testified in his own defense during trial, he admitted his sexual fetish for children.

Mercer-Kinser faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison. A sentencing date has been set for June 29, 2023, at 9 am.

“Protecting children from dangerous predators is a top priority for our office,” U.S. Attorney Ison said. “The actions of a concerned adult were crucial in bringing the crime in this case to the attention of law enforcement, and parents and other relatives need to be vigilant in watching out for signs of abuse or the exploitation of our kids.”    

“This defendant’s repeat sexual offenses make him an extreme danger to our youth. Today’s guilty verdict is a step closer to ensuring Mercer-Kinser no longer has access to children in any way,” said James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office. “The combined efforts of the member agencies in the FBI’s Southeast Michigan Trafficking and Exploitation Task Force continue to form a formidable barrier between predators and our children.”

The case was investigated by special agents of the FBI. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Erin Shaw and Maggie Smith.