Matthew McKinney
Introduction
Matthew McKinney, 28, of Reading, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on 20 October 2026 to 240 months in prison — 20 years — followed by 15 years of supervised release and $98,500 in restitution to victims, by U.S. District Judge Joseph F. Leeson Jr. for distribution and receipt of child sexual abuse material. McKinney came to investigators’ attention through his Telegram trades with the subject of an FBI New York investigation, and later admitted he was the user behind an account distributing CSAM under the display name “Unknown 69”.
Background Information
The case began inside the FBI New York investigation of the Telegram account “Steve Jobs” @perv_94, which was used to trade child sexual abuse material with other users. Reviewing that account, agents observed communications with a user whose display name was “Unknown 69”. On 26 May 2025, the “Steve Jobs” account sent “Unknown 69” approximately 80 video files containing CSAM, primarily depicting female children — some pre-pubescent — engaged in sexual conduct. On 29 July 2025, the “Unknown 69” account sent back four CSAM files and a MEGA link containing approximately 1,100 video files of CSAM, some depicting the sexual abuse of children as young as infants and toddlers.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Convicted and sentenced. McKinney pleaded guilty in November 2025 to one count each of distribution of child pornography and receipt of child pornography, and was sentenced on 20 October 2026 to 20 years in prison.
After obtaining subscriber information and other records, FBI Allentown agents determined McKinney was the user of the “Unknown 69” account — a conclusion McKinney subsequently admitted in an interview. He was arrested on a criminal complaint and warrant in August 2025, charged by information in October 2025, and pleaded guilty the following month. In addition to the prison term, supervised release, and $98,500 in victim restitution, he is subject to mandatory registration as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act and Pennsylvania’s Megan’s Law.
Public Reaction and Consequences
The sentencing closed a case built on the intersection of two FBI field offices’ investigations — New York’s takedown of a Telegram CSAM trader and Allentown’s identification of one of his trading partners. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, the Justice Department’s nationwide initiative against child sexual exploitation, and was investigated by FBI Philadelphia’s Allentown Resident Agency together with FBI New York, prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca J. Kulik.
Current Status
McKinney is serving his 20-year sentence following the 20 October 2026 sentencing by Judge Leeson. His supervised release will run 15 years after prison, during which his access to children and the internet will be restricted, and his restitution obligation — $98,500 to the known victims whose abuse he collected and circulated — follows him regardless of where he serves his term.
Impact on Their Career/Life
A 28-year-old from Reading will spend his twenties and most of his middle age in federal prison for a trading habit he conducted under a pseudonym that did not survive basic subscriber work. The case also documents the volume one mid-level trader can move in a single link — roughly 1,100 videos — and the direction federal sentencing has taken for men who both collect and redistribute CSAM: two decades, with registration for life on either side of it.
Sources
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, “Berks County Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Child Pornography Offenses” — source