LAKEWOOD – A Township man has been sentenced to seven years in New Jersey State Prison, with a five year period of parole ineligibility, for uploading and sharing images of child pornography as well as failing to register as a sex offender, officials said.
Matthew Robles, 32, previously entered a guilty plea to Distribution of Child Pornography. Additionally, Robles was sentenced to three years in jail as a result of his previously entered guilty plea to Failure to Register as a Megan’s Law Offender. The sentences will run concurrently.
Through investigation, authorities discovered that Robles has been employed at a local business in Brick without registering or notifying any law enforcement agencies, which is a requirement under Megan’s Law.
On July 26, 2022, officers visited Roble’s home and found images of child pornography on his cell phone. Robles was taken into custody and brought to the Ocean County Jail for various violations of his parole. All of Robles’ electronic devices were seized by law enforcement for forensic examination purposes.
On July 28, 2022, detectives executed a search warrant on Robles’ electronic devices and discovered that Robles was uploading and sharing images of child pornography on the internet through WhatsApp.
On August 5, 2022, Robles was served with a complaint initially charging him with Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. Three days later, he was served with an additional complaint charging him with Distribution of Child Pornography.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer acknowledged the efforts of Senior Assistant Prosecutor Shanon Chant-Berry and Assistant Prosecutor Natalie Pouch who handled the case on behalf of the State, and commended the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Megan’s Law Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, New Jersey Division of Parole, and Lakewood Township Police Department, for their collaborative assistance in connection with this investigation leading to Robles’ arrest, guilty pleas, and now his state prison sentence.
