ROCKFORD — A Stephenson County, Ill. man has been sentenced to 150 years in federal prison for sexually exploiting numerous children, including infants and toddlers.
For more than a decade, MATTHEW KAUFMAN enticed multiple children to engage in sexually explicit conduct and recorded it. Kaufman coerced and enticed some of the children via the social media application Snapchat. He stored hundreds of videos and images of the abuse on his electronic devices.
Kaufman is a registered sex offender who was convicted in 2008 of a felony offense for possessing child pornography. The following year, he began the abuse that gave rise to this federal conviction and 150-year sentence.
Kaufman, 45, of Lena, Ill., pleaded guilty in 2025 to three counts of production of child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Iain D. Johnston on Thursday imposed the 150-year prison term and ordered that it be followed by a lifetime of court-supervised release. Kaufman was also ordered to pay $28,000 in restitution to his victims.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The Stephenson County Sheriff’s Department provided valuable assistance.
“Over the course of at least thirteen years, defendant, a convicted sex offender, preyed upon vulnerable children for his own sexual gratification,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica S. Maveus argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “By repeatedly and violently sexually abusing multiple young girls, defendant has proven that he is truly a predator and that each of the images and videos he created depict a crime scene.”
If you believe you are a victim of sexual exploitation, you are encouraged to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by logging on to https://www.missingkids.org/ or calling 1-800-843-5678. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Northern District of Illinois — U.S. Department of Justice press release.