Apology-seeking Spokane rapist gets 17 years in federal prison for child pornography

A convicted Spokane rapist, who told an FBI agent in 2017 that the investigator would apologize after searching the suspect’s computer, was sentenced to 17 1/2 years in federal prison Thursday after a jury earlier convicted him of possession and distribution of child pornography.

Matthew L. Lane, 47, chose not to speak Thursday during the sentencing before U.S. District Court Judge Rosanna Malouf Peterson.

Lane’s attorney, Karen Lindholdt, asked Peterson for a lesser sentence based on Lane having been abused as a child and because of his severe physical limitations caused by a serious collision in 2006. Lane suffered a traumatic brain injury after he was struck by a car while riding a bicycle, she said.

Lindholdt said her client had been living in a “dark, small room in a filthy basement” when he was charged.

“Given his extraordinary disabilities, that supports a significant downward departure,” Lindholdt said. “If he is placed with able-bodied inmates, he will be put in a vulnerable position.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney David Herzog said the Federal Bureau of Prisons can accommodate inmates with physical challenges and that Lane’s criminal behavior, and arrogance toward his investigators, warranted a tougher sentence.

According to court records, Lane used sophisticated electronic shredding software to delete the child pornography. As FBI agent Lee McEuen was finishing up the search of Lane’s home in 2017 on Rich Avenue in Spokane, Lane told McEuen “that he would be looking forward to (McEuen) returning and apologizing to him for the search warrant.”

That apology never came. Instead, the FBI was able to identify and re-create more than 600 images of known child pornography despite Lane’s efforts to delete them, Herzog said.

The possession and distribution of child pornography “went back years,” Herzog said. “It was a staggering volume of child pornography history. This is not just one incident. This is extreme conduct over years.”

Herzog pointed out that until 2016, Lane had worked 17 years as an umpire for youth baseball games.

“At the same time the possession of child pornography was going on, he had access to children,” Herzog said, “And he had the ability to act on that.”

The federal prosecutor noted that Lane never accepted responsibility for the crimes and forced 14 jurors during a trial in June to view the files that investigators were able to recover. During the trial, Lane tried to blame two acquaintances for the illicit files.

“It’s not right to point his finger at an innocent person,” Herzog said. “There is a complete lack of remorse. There is no acceptance of responsibility or consideration of his victims.”

Peterson told Lane she was not going to punish him for taking the matter to trial, which was his right, or for trying to shift the blame to other people.

“This is an offense that preys on vulnerable people,” Peterson said. “Nobody is as vulnerable as children. They carry those injuries for the rest of their lives.”

She noted that Lane told FBI agent McEuen that he expected an apology following the results of the search warrant because Lane thought his shredding software would help him avoid detection.

“This is not someone who casually accesses a child pornography website. This was intentional,” Peterson said. “This was thoughtful, devious, and I’m going to say, perverted.”

She noted Lane’s 1995 conviction for third-degree rape and a 2001 theft conviction. She ordered Lane to serve 17 1/2 years in federal prison and imposed a lifetime ban preventing him from having contact with children under the age of 18.

“The pattern of your behavior is that you have a disregard for the law,” Peterson said, “and a longer sentence is necessary to protect the public from your actions.”