A 49-year-old Ohio man is facing child pornography and other charges after authorities say he used the Internet to pose as a boy named “Zach” in order to obtain explicit photos from a Lower Saucon Township girl, who he was allegedly interested in meeting.
Citing court papers filed by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office, Lehigh Valley Live reported Tuesday that Matthew Scott Sedam, of Loveland, Ohio, allegedly communicated with the girl online and over the phone for nearly three years–while she was between the ages of 12 and 15–and convinced her to send him sexually explicit photographs during that time.
Authorities began to investigate Sedam in August 2019 after the girl’s father allegedly heard him speaking on a voicemail message he left for the girl, did not believe that he had the voice of a teenage boy and contacted police with his suspicion, the news site reported.
According to court papers Sedam is charged with 10 counts of Knowingly Photographing, Filming or Depicting a Sex Act Involving a Child on a Computer (Felony 2), 10 counts of Child Pornography (Felony 3) and one count of each of the following: Unlawful Contact with a Minor (Felony 2), Contact or Communication with a Minor-Sexual Abuse (Felony 3), Disseminating Sexually Explicit Material to a Minor (Felony 3), Criminal Use of a Communication Facility (Felony 3) and Corruption of Minors (Misdemeanor 1).
Following a preliminary arraignment on those charges before District Judge Daniel Corpora Tuesday, Sedam was committed to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $250,000 straight bail, his criminal court docket shows.
A preliminary hearing in Sedam’s case is scheduled to be held Tuesday, Dec. 22 at 9 a.m. before District Judge Alan Mege in Northampton County District Court 03-2-04 in Lower Saucon Township.
Court papers do not list an attorney for Sedam.
Note: Individuals charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This story was compiled using information from police and court documents.
