Bridgeville resident charged with producing and distributing sexual exploitation material of a minor

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The 11 counts include 24-year-old Matthew Trax as the sole defendant.

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Bridgeville, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of producing and distributing material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, U.S. Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.

The law imposes a sentence of at least 15 years in prison and up to 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under federal sentencing guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based on the seriousness of the offenses and the defendant’s criminal history (if any). Trax was jailed on state charges and remains in custody pending trial.

According to the indictment, at various times in November 2023 through December 2023, Trax used, seduced and persuaded a 14-year-old female to engage in sexually explicit conduct to create videos and images involving the minor. In addition to producing this sexually explicit content, Trax also distributed sexually explicit content involving the same underage female.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Mt. Lebanon Police Department conducted the investigation that led to the charges.

Assistant United States Attorney Nicole A. Stockey is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

An accusation is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

This case was filed as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Investigation Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children , as well as to identify and rescue the victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.