A former teaching assistant at Newark High School is facing federal child porn charges, according to prosecutors.
Matthew Holland, 28, of Newark was charged with production, receipt, and possession of child pornography and online enticement of a minor by the Western District of New York.
Prosecutors say that on March 9th investigators in Virginia received a report that a Snapchat user named “Tjohnson755” had sexually explicit conversations with a 14-year-old.
That user was identified as Holland, and he had coerced the minor to send explicit photos.
He then threatened to share those photos when the teen said she wanted to stop talking to him.
Holland previously worked for the YMCA in Canandaigua, as well as Newark High School. He also had a photography studio in Wayne County.
Prosecutors are asking anyone with information on Holland, Illumination Images, or Snapchat user “Tjohnson755” to contact Homeland Security Investigations at 716-464-6070 or email [email protected].
Prosecutors say Holland faces a minimum of 15 years in prison if convicted.
One of his victims, who spoke with News10NBC on Monday, said she didn’t even realize that Holland had a hidden camera at his studio in Newark until a few weeks ago.
“It’s definitely been tough,” Haily Atkins, now 21, told News10NBC. “It’s disgusting. He deserves every bit of punishment that he’s going to get.”
Police showed her the videos. It had been five years since the incidents took place – reminding prosecutors that there could be many more victims in the area.
“Definitely something I don’t want to see again,” she recalled, “And I don’t know what he did with these photos. He’s had them for five, almost six, years now.”
The case originated in Leesburg, Virginia when those Snapchat interactions were uncovered.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected].