Annapolis, MD- This morning in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court, Matthew James Freeto, age 36, of Annapolis, pleaded guilty to 8 counts of possession of child pornography. The Honorable Judge Stacy McCormack sentenced Freeto to 80 years in prison suspending all but 18 years to serve in the Division of Correction. Upon release from prison, he must register as a Tier 2 sex offender for 25 years and will be under COMET supervision for 5 years.
Following the plea and sentencing, State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess commented, “This defendant was on probation for possession of child pornography and clearly didn’t get the message the first time. Today’s sentence from the Court acknowledges he needed a lengthy prison term to address his disturbing penchant for child sexual abuse material. Following his release, he’ll have decades of additional time hanging over his head if he reoffends.”
Leitess added, “I want to thank Assistant State’s Attorney Sean Fox for his work in delivering justice, and Detective Jonathan Bruce for his investigation.”
On July 18, 2025, investigators with the Anne Arundel County Police Department received a Cyber Tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) following a report from Google.
Google reported numerous suspected images containing pubescent minors engaged in a sex act or lascivious exhibition. Google provided identifying information for the defendant, Matthew Freeto, including mobile phone numbers, a Gmail address, and date of birth. Google said they became aware of the images when they were stored to a Google Drive and Photo infrastructure.
Detectives obtained a search warrant for Freeto’s Google account. In reviewing the account, detectives confirmed images of child sexual abuse material.
The State was represented by Assistant State’s Attorney Sean Fox on behalf of the citizens of Anne Arundel County. The investigation was led by Detective Jonathan Bruce of the Anne Arundel County Police Department.