Despicable.
Celebrity chef Matthew Tivy was arrested on Thursday for child porn and other charges. According to federal investigators, the 54-year-old was brought into custody for alleged sexual exploitation and enticement of a minor, as well as receipt and distribution of child pornography.
That’s just so horrible.
In a statement made by the FBI, the owner of NYC restaurant Cafe du Soleil began to have online conversations — that he instigated — with a teenage boy believed to be around 14- or 15-years old.
Related: Jared Fogle Claimed He Had Sex With A 9-Year-Old
Officials say the Food Network alum “enticed” the teen to “engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct and then distributed these visual depictions to others online.”
However, Matthew’s attorney, Glenn Hardy, is adamant that his client is innocent, telling AM New York:
“He basically said the two most important words: not guilty. And now it’s up to the U.S. Attorney to prove their case.”
Glenn also explained that the married chef has begun therapy, and “certainly understood the gravity of the situation.”
But Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara issued a statement claiming that Matthew isn’t innocent, after all, and knew exactly what he was doing. He said:
“As alleged, Matthew Tivy took advantage of a minor for his own sexual gratification, even when he knew the minor was only in high school. He then allegedly shared the video he recorded of his encounter with others.”
FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Diego Rodriquez says there’s even physical evidence of his guilt, explaining:
“As alleged, Tivy used a dating app to meet minors, even acknowledging their age on text messages after they met. He then allegedly shared the sexually explicit videos of the minors with others through Internet sharing communities.”
Ugh. That makes our skin crawl.
His lawyer responded that he doesn’t really know how to explain the recorded communication or videos, saying:
“That’s something we have to investigate. He has no obligation to explain to me or the government what they’re about, but that’s something Matthew and I are going to work on.”
The chef was arraigned on Thursday, and is being held without bail. If convicted, he could face up to 50 years behind bars. Court records also show that Matthew has been charged in a separate case for allegedly having sex with an underage child back in March.
He will go to court for both cases next month.
[Image via Getty Images.]
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