A repeat sex offender from Detroit sent sexually explicit text messages to a minor while in a reentry center. He also received child pornography.
Matthew Mercer-Kinser, 36, was found guilty Tuesday (Feb. 28).
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In June of 2009, Mercer-Kinser was sentenced to serve 151 months in custody for transporting child pornography. In July 2019, the Bureau of Prisons designated the now 36-year-old to serve the final months of his sentence in a Detroit residential reentry center.
While at the RRC, Mercer-Kinser sent numerous sexually explicit text messages to a relative who is a minor who alerted an adult who reported him to the FBI.
After being notified, officials searched Mercer-Kinser’s smartphone, where several images of child pornography and numerous disturbing communications demonstrated his continued prolific sexual interest in children.
The 36-year-old man admitted his sexual fetish for children during trial.
“Protecting children from dangerous predators is a top priority for our office,” said U.S. Attorney Dawn N. “The actions of a concerned adult were crucial in bringing the crime in this case to the attention of law enforcement, and parents and other relatives need to be vigilant in watching out for signs of abuse or the exploitation of our kids.”
“This defendant’s repeat sexual offenses make him an extreme danger to our youth,” said James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office. “Today’s guilty verdict is a step closer to ensuring Mercer-Kinser no longer has access to children in any way. The combined efforts of the member agencies in the FBI’s Southeast Michigan Trafficking and Exploitation Task Force continue to form a formidable barrier between predators and our children.”
Mercer-Kinser faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison.
A sentencing date has been set for June 29 at 9 a.m.