Monongalia County man accused of producing child pornography

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Oliver Matheny, of Maidsville, West Virginia, was indicted today on child pornography charges, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.

Matheny, 48, was indicted today on three counts of “Attempted Production of Child Pornography – Previous Conviction” and two counts of “Production of Child Pornography – Previous Conviction.” Matheny was previously convicted of sexually abusing a minor in Florida in 1996. He is accused of using minors to produce child pornography from February to September 2018 in Monongalia County.

Matheny faces at least 25 years and up to 50 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000 for each charge. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The FBI investigated.

This case was brought as 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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.