For Immediate Release:
September 16, 2019
Contact: Matt Baca — (505) 270-7148
ALBUQUERQUE, NM—Today, Attorney General Hector Balderas announced that
Bernalillo County District Court Judge Daniel Gallegos sentenced Matthew O’Neill, to
three years at the Department of Corrections for possessing and manufacturing child
pornography. Prosecutors read the victims’ sentencing statements to the court which
detailed how the continued propagation of the video and photographic depictions of them
being sexually abused has impacted their lives and continues to haunt them.
“No one should exploit and abuse children, and this case illustrates how possessing or
making materials of child exploitation is not a victimless crime,” said Attorney General
Balderas. “Our office will continue to fight to protect children and put an end to child sexual
abuse and exploitation.”
Matthew O’Neill previously worked as an Albuquerque area attorney who featured
prominently on billboards and advertisements around New Mexico. While at work, he
downloaded and viewed child exploitation materials on his work computer. He was
detected by his firm’s IT department and agents from the Attorney General’s Office then
executed multiple warrants on O’Neill and discovered hundreds of depictions of child
sexual abuse material. After reaching out to the National Center for Missing and Exploited
Children (NCMEC) to determine whether any of the victims had been identified, multiple
victim statements were discovered of known child sexual abuse victims. These
statements were read to the Court and informed its sentencing.
After serving his prison term, O’Neill will be on sex offender probation and parole for 5-20
years and will face additional incarceration if he violates his conditions of release. This
case was investigated by the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General Special
Investigations Division and prosecuted by Director of Special Prosecutions Collin
Brennan also of the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General