Former Southern California man convicted of convincing troubled girls to commit masochistic acts
A former Southern California man who convinced troubled girls as young as 12 to commit masochistic acts and urged one to become his sex slave was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison on Tuesday.
Matthew Christian Locher was “a parent’s worst nightmare,” U.S. District Judge Dolly M. Gee said during his sentencing in Los Angeles, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
Locher pleaded guilty last August to one count of sexually exploiting a child for the purpose of producing a sexually explicit visual representation.
MAN WHO CONVINCED GIRLS TO PERFORM MASOCHISTICAL ACTS, URGES 12-YEAR-OLD TO BE HIS SEX SLAVE PLEADS GUILTY
In her plea agreement, prosecutors said Locher, 32, admitted that while living in Redondo Beach in 2020 and 2021, Locher had online conversations targeting girls with mental health issues such as depression. , schizophrenia, anorexia and suicidal thoughts.
“Locher groomed his victims to self-harm and ordered a victim with an eating disorder to starve himself, ordering him to film himself cutting his body when disobeying him,” said Locher. said the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Matthew Christian Locher was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison. (FoxNews)
Two girls sent him images and videos of self-harm, including cutting their breasts with razor blades, prosecutors said.
He convinced a third victim, 12, to run away from his home in Ohio and attempt to travel to California to have sex with him, prosecutors said.
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Encouraged by Locher, the girl first burned down her house in an unsuccessful attempt to kill her parents, prosecutors say.
Locher promised he would pick her up, “bring her to California and make her his ‘slave,'” the U.S. attorney’s office said.
Locher moved to Indiana in 2021 after authorities raided his home. He was arrested in January 2022 in Indianapolis and returned to California.
Fox
