Pickens Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Child Pornography Offense

GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA —Matthew Leon Arotin, 63, of Pickens, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography. He was also ordered to pay $68,000 in restitution to the victims whose images he possessed.

Evidence presented to the court showed that deputies with the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office received a cyber tip that child sexual abuse material was uploaded to a Google account. Investigation revealed that the account came back to an IP address associated with Arotin.  Pickens County deputies obtained a search warrant for Arotin’s home and learned that he was a registered sex offender based on prior convictions. When confronted by deputies, Arotin admitted he had various electronic devices and deputies would find inappropriate pictures of children on them. 

The devices were seized and forensically analyzed. Law enforcement discovered 1,334 still images and 135 videos of child pornography. Fourteen of the images and six of the videos featured sexual abuse of an infant or toddler.   

This case was investigated by the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Homeland Security.  Assistant United States Attorney Bill Watkins prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

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