Benson man sentenced to 78 months in prison for 18 child porn felonies
Jul. 24—BENSON — A Benson man was sentenced Tuesday to 78 months for 18 felony counts regarding downloading and disseminating child pornography on various social media platforms.
Matthiew John Graue, 26, also known as Matthiew John Martin, was sentenced in Swift County District Court by Eighth District Judge David Mennis following a plea agreement with prosecutors in which Graue agreed to plead guilty to 18 felony charges across five different criminal case files. The state sought a 258-month prison sentence.
He is a registered predatory offender from a previous conviction in Iowa.
Thirteen of the charges are felony possession of pornographic work by a registered predatory offender of a minor under 13. Five of the charges are felony dissemination of a pornographic work by a registered predatory offender.
One felony charge for disseminating pornographic work was dismissed in accordance with the plea agreement.
Graue will serve 15 years probation once he is released from prison.
See related:
* Benson man jailed on 6 new child pornography charges, allegedly continued to view images after being charged with 13 felonies related to child porn
* Benson man accused of downloading child pornography
According to court records, the ages of children in the pornographic material found on Graue's phone range from infant to teenager, and the acts range from nude photos to oral sex and intercourse.
Graue was first charged in December of 2020 with downloading child pornography and additional charges were filed in March — while he was free on supervised release awaiting trial for the original charges. He had since been held in the Swift County Jail on $100,000 bail.
He is now incarcerated at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in St. Cloud, according to the Department of Corrections.
