Thorsby, Alabama Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Production of Child Sexual Abuse Material

Today, Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson and Special Agent in Charge Sara J. Jones announced the sentencing of a Thorsby, Alabama man for producing child sexual abuse material.

On April 30, 2026, a federal judge ordered 36-year-old Matthew Louis Hourany to serve 360 months in prison. The judge also ordered that Hourany remain on supervised release for life following his prison term and to register as a sex offender. There is no parole in the federal system.

"Children deserve to grow up safe from harm and protecting them remains one of law enforcement's highest priorities," said Acting U.S. Attorney Davidson. "This sentence reflects the gravity of the defendant's conduct and emphasizes our commitment to stopping predators who target children. We will continue working with our law enforcement partners to ensure offenders are held fully accountable."

"The FBI remains unwavering in our mission to identify, locate, and apprehend those who exploit our most vulnerable, our children," said Special Agent in Charge Jones. "We will work tirelessly to keep our community's children safe and to bring justice to these victims."

According to Hourany's plea agreement and other court records, in September 2024, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a tip about the upload of child sexual abuse materials to a cloud storage drive. NCMEC provided the tip to the FBI.

Agents reviewed files on the drive and found numerous videos and images of child sexual abuse material. The investigation ultimately revealed Hourany as the owner of the account. Agents arrested Hourany on March 23, 2025.

Hourany pleaded guilty to production of child pornography on January 8, 2026. During his plea hearing, Hourany specifically admitted to enticing or coercing minors to produce child sexual abuse videos or images on at least six separate occasions with different victims each time.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case, with assistance from the Alabama Attorney General's Office and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Assistant United States Attorneys Tara S. Ratz, John J. Geer III, and Patrick Lamb prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.