PHILADELPHIA, PA — A 28-year-old Delaware County man pleaded guilty Thursday to federal child sexual exploitation charges involving five children between the ages of 11 and 15, exposing him to a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a possible life sentence.
Isaiah Matthews, of Chester, entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Michael M. Baylson to 10 federal charges involving the production, attempted production, receipt and possession of child sexual abuse material, as well as the enticement and attempted enticement of minors, according to U.S. Attorney David Metcalf.
Matthews pleaded guilty to two counts of manufacturing and attempting to manufacture child pornography, two counts of using an interstate commerce facility to entice or attempt to entice a minor to engage in sexual conduct, five counts of receiving child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography.
Federal prosecutors stated that Matthews directed two minors to photograph and record themselves engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
According to court filings and statements, Matthews also knowingly received sexually explicit images and videos involving all five children during a period beginning around Nov. 20, 2022.
The conduct described in the prosecution included the possession of child sexual abuse material on Jan. 7, 2025.
Matthews was initially arrested in January 2025 following the filing of a federal criminal complaint and the issuance of an arrest warrant.
A federal grand jury indicted him in April 2025, and prosecutors subsequently obtained a superseding indictment in May 2026.
Matthews is scheduled to be sentenced March 9, 2027. In addition to the mandatory minimum prison term of 15 years and a maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment, he faces between five years and lifetime supervised release.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division, FBI Baltimore and the FBI Philadelphia Field Office’s Newtown Square Resident Agency.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Catherine S. Dos Santos and David J. Ignall are prosecuting the case.
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