A Riverside County man has been sentenced to over 15 years in federal prison for producing sexually explicit images of children he met online. John Matthew Piecuch, aged 64, from Hemet, was sentenced by United States District Judge John W. Holcomb to 188 months in prison. A restitution hearing is scheduled for May 1, 2025.
Piecuch pleaded guilty in July 2024 to one count of production of child pornography and has been in federal custody since August 2021. Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph McNally commented on the case: “Online games and platforms can allow child predators to hide behind fake identities and lure children into sharing private information.” He emphasized the importance of holding such predators accountable and urged parents to monitor their children's online activities.
The case involved a preteen girl Piecuch met on Roblox, an online gaming platform. Identified as "Minor Victim 1" in court documents, the victim was a 12-year-old girl whom Piecuch convinced he was a 13-year-old boy. In January 2021, Piecuch persuaded her to send him sexually explicit images of herself and later images of her five-year-old relative, referred to as "Minor Victim 2."
The situation came to light when Minor Victim 1's mother discovered text messages between her daughter and Piecuch on the girl's mobile device, leading her to contact law enforcement.
Following his prison sentence, Piecuch will be on supervised release for life. The FBI investigated the matter with assistance from the Carroll County (Maryland) Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Sonah Lee is prosecuting the case.