Sioux City Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Distribution

Matthew Kashas, a 43-year-old resident of Sioux City, Iowa, has pleaded guilty to charges of distributing child pornography. The plea was entered on October 8, 2026, in a federal court in Sioux City. Kashas, who has a history of similar offenses, was previously convicted for distributing child pornography in 2009 and 2016, serving prison sentences of five and ten years respectively. At the time of his latest offense, he was on supervised release.

According to the U. S. Attorney's Office, Kashas admitted to receiving, possessing, and distributing child pornography between May 1, 2025, and December 1, 2025.

During this period, he accessed chat sites seeking mothers with young daughters willing to engage in sex acts and encouraged them to drug their children and send him photos. These activities included individuals from the Sioux City area.

Law enforcement officials executed a search warrant on Kashas' phone, uncovering 434 images and 104 videos of child pornography. The material discovered included depictions of sadistic or masochistic conduct, as well as images of prepubescent children and toddlers. Kashas admitted to routinely destroying his electronics to evade detection by his probation officer.

The case was investigated by the Sioux City Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit. It is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Kashas now faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years' imprisonment, with a possible maximum sentence of 40 years. He could also be fined up to $250,000 and will face at least five years of supervised release following any imprisonment. Sentencing will be determined by United States District Court Judge Leonard T.

Strand after a presentence report is prepared. Kashas remains in the custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.

For more information on Project Safe Childhood, visit Justice. gov/PSC. Court file information can be accessed at https://ecf.

iand. uscourts. gov/cgi-bin/login.

pl, under case file number 25-4069.