Published On: October 13th, 2019Categories: Florida News

A Palm Beach Gardens resident heavily into Mike Tyson, beer and child pornography got 20 years in federal prison for charges related to the third part of that trio.

And 37-year-old Matthew Tassin said he first got interested in child pornography as a mid-1990s America Online user.

Tassin pleaded guilty to distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography. At Sept. 26 sentencing, U.S. District Judge Rodolfo Ruiz gave Tassin the 20 years behind bars plus 15 years of supervised release onto the prison time. Tassin also owes $10,000 restitution, $5,000 to the victim in the “Jenny” series of child pornography and $5,000 to the child exploited in the “Marineland” series.

In Jaunary, an FBI online undercover agent went into a child pornography chat room on the Kik application, an app that turns up regularly in child pornography/child molestation cases. Tassin’s admission of facts says when detectives asked him if Kik could be used to share child pornography, he answered, “Yes, it’s all over it.”

(Kik announced in September that it’s shutting down its messenger app after a long battle with the Securities and Exchange Commission)

His admission of facts says Tassin entered a Kik chat room on Jan. 27 as user “Mike T,” an identity he later told investigators he chose to show his affinity for former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson. Room rules required visitors to post links to child porn sites or places other users could watch or download child porn. A watcher of child porn and rules told Tassin if he didn’t post, he’d be kicked out of the room.

When he returned, Tassin responded to the warning by posting a link to a New Zealand folder-hosting site, Mega.nz. There, the undercover FBI agent found a folder named “Cindy” with six subfolders. Inside the subfolders were numerous child porn videos and photos.

“Many of the image and video files displayed prepubescent girls engaged in sexual activities including oral sex on adult men, masturbation and vaginal sex,” Tassin’s admission states.

With this, information from Kik and internet provider Comcast, the FBI showed up at Tassin’s house with a search warrant on April 15.

“Tassin, a 37-yerar-old information technology professional, said the agents knew why they were at the residence and Tassin did as well,” his admission states. “Tassin said his interest in child pornography began at age 12 using America Online (AOL) and he recently began looking at child pornography again since using the Kik application.”

Recordings of girls broadcast online, most of them 12, comprised his collection, Tassin said. He used child porn of younger victims as trade bait. His child pornography indulgences usually took place in what he called his “man cave” — the “beer room.”

“This particular room had thousands of empty beer cans, piked several feet high, a television and desk where the computer was,” Tassin’s admission states. “He admitted this was the computer where the agents would find evidence. There was a small path leading from the door of the room to the desk.

“Tassin admitted he is addicted to child pornography and beer.”

Since 1989, David J. Neal’s domain at the Miami Herald has expanded to include writing about Panthers (NHL and FIU), Dolphins, old school animation, food safety, fraud, naughty lawyers, bad doctors and all manner of breaking news. He drinks coladas whole. He does not work Indianapolis 500 Race Day.




Source link