ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE NEWS

Attorney General Hector Balderas announced Wednesday 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.