TAMPA—United States Attorney Robert E. O’Neill announces the return by a grand jury of an indictment charging Arnold Maurice Mathis (41, Lake Wales) with two counts of producing and attempting to produce of child pornography. If convicted, Mathis faces a mandatory minimum of 35 years and up to 50 years in federal prison for each count.
According to the indictment, between May and November 2011, Mathis, a previously convicted sexual offender, persuaded and attempted to persuade two minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of the conduct. At the time of the offenses, Mathis was a youth minister and associate pastor at Higher Praise Ministries in Lake Wales, Florida.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO), the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer L. Peresie.
Mathis is also being prosecuted on state charges by the Polk County State Attorney’s Office.
Castrate him and throw him to the inmates!