Western District of Kentucky | Owensboro Man Federally Charged with Child Sexual Exploitation

Owensboro, KY – A federal grand jury in Bowling Green, Kentucky, returned a nine-count indictment on August 14, 2024, charging an Owensboro, Kentucky man with numerous crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children.

U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Stansbury of the FBI Louisville Field Office and Commissioner Phillip Burnett, Jr. of the Kentucky State Police made the announcement.

According to the indictment, Matthew D. Constant, 52, was charged with two counts of online enticement of a minor, three counts of receiving child pornography, two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and two counts of transmitting obscene material to a minor.

The defendant made his initial court appearance on August 19, 2024, before a U.S. magistrate judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. The court ordered the defendant held pending trial. If convicted, Constant faces a minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of life in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

There is no parole in the federal system.

This case is being investigated by FBI Owensboro and the Kentucky State Police.

Assistant District Attorney Leigh Ann Dycus, of the Paducah District Attorney’s Office, is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Abuse and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to investigate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For information about Internet safety education, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the “resources” tab.

The FBI Louisville Field Office is attempting to identify potential victims of Mathew D. Constant. If you are a minor dependent and have information about Constant, please contact the FBI at [email protected]. Your responses are voluntary, but may be helpful in the federal investigation to identify you or your child as a potential victim. Victims may be eligible for certain services, restitution, and rights under federal and/or state laws.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

###