Man accused of grooming girl to send self-harm images arrested in Castaic – NBC Los Angeles

An 18-year-old Pennsylvania man accused of grooming a young teen he met on the Discord online platform to send him sexually explicit material and images of self-harm faces federal charges after the victim was rescued by authorities at a motel in northern Los Angeles County, according to the Department of Justice.

Matthew Edward Pysher was arrested Friday in Castaic, where authorities said he traveled to meet the girl, who had just turned 13, near her home and take her to the motel. Law enforcement officers, who had been notified by the girl’s mother who was concerned about her daughter’s safety, arrived at the motel to find the suspect and girl, authorities said.

Pysher was charged in a federal criminal complaint with travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, a felony punishable by up to 30 years in federal prison. An initial court appearance was scheduled for Monday in downtown Los Angeles.

“The facts charged in this case are chilling,” First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli said. “If your children have access to use the internet, sadistic predators may have access to your kids. Law enforcement will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute those who seek to harm children. We advise parents to keep their kids offline.”

At a Monday news conference, Essayli showed images of text message authorities said were sent to the victim by the suspect, who identified himself as Piano Man. The victim’s mother contacted the FBI Feb. 10 about her daughter being encouraged to harm herself by someone she met on Discord.

They met on a server associated with people struggling with mental health , the DOJ said.

NBCLA has reached out to Discord for comment.

Physher traveled to Southern California Friday and met the girl in the Santa Clarita Valley community about 40 miles north of Los Angeles, according to federal authorities.

“When law enforcement arrived at the motel room, they encountered Pysher and the victim and found condoms, a knife, lubricant, razor blades, bloody tissues, and a boarding pass for Pysher’s flight from Philadelphia to Los Angeles,” the Department of Justice said in a news release.

Authorities also found a faraday bag, which can block electronic signals, the DOJ said. The victim told law enforcement officers that the two engaged in sexual conduct and that the suspect used a knife to cut her, authorities said.

“This is just grotesque,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna. “Not only as a law enforcement official, but as a father. It is disgusting.”

After reviewing content on the victim’s phone, investigators said they believe the suspect is associated with nihilistic violent extremist ideology. The FBI describes NVE as an ideology that typically targets vulnerable people, including minors, and often uses online platforms to share child sexual abuse material. Victims may sometimes be blackmailed in complying with demands to commit sex acts, self-harm, violence and more, according to the DOJ.

“This isn’t like an organized terrorist organization,” Essayli said at a Monday news conference. “This is an ideology. The way we identify and categorize it is by their behavior.

“There isn’t an organized group. This can literally be anyone who has this ideology, and they’ll just go online and look for young kids. It’s a disturbing trend, particularly with young males.”

It was not immediately clear whether Pysher has an attorney who could speak on his behalf.