Pennsylvania Man Arrested at Castaic Motel Federally Charged After Grooming Minor Victim into Engaging in Acts of Self-Harm

LOS ANGELES - A Pennsylvania man has been arrested and federally charged after grooming a girl who recently turned 13 years old to send him sexually explicit material of herself and images of self-harm over the internet, a pattern of abuse consistent with nihilistic violent extremist (NVE) ideology that culminated in law enforcement rescuing her at a Santa Clarita Valley motel.

Matthew Edward Pysher, 18, of Bangor, Pennsylvania, was arrested late Friday in Castaic and is expected to make his initial appearance this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

Pysher is charged in a federal criminal complaint with travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, a felony punishable by up to 30 years in federal prison.

"The facts charged in this case are chilling," said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. "If your children have access to use the internet, sadistic predators may have access to your kids. Law enforcement will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute those who seek to harm children. We advise parents to keep their kids offline."

"The subject arrested this weekend is one of a growing number of alleged nihilistic violent extremists who prey on children and talk them into compromising sex acts and self-mutilation," said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office. "The FBI and our law enforcement partners are committed to finding and holding accountable these sadistic predators and ensuring they face serious consequences for their vile acts."

"Violent online exploitation that targets our children through manipulation, coercion, and fear has absolutely no place in our communities, whether on our streets or behind a computer screen," said Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert G. Luna. "Because of the swift and coordinated efforts of local and federal law enforcement, and the decisive action of a vigilant mother who immediately contacted law enforcement, this young victim was safely recovered, and further harm was prevented. We will continue to work with our local and federal partners, using every investigative tool available, to protect our youth and hold predators accountable in Los Angeles County."

According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, from at least December 2025 until February 20, Pysher groomed and encouraged the victim to send him material of herself engaging in sexually explicit acts. He also encouraged the victim to cut herself and engage in other acts of self-harm.

On February 10, the victim's mother contacted the FBI because she was concerned her daughter was being encouraged to harm herself by a person named "Matthew," whom the victim met on the Discord online platform. The victim encountered Pysher on a Discord server related to individuals suffering from mental illness.

On February 20, Pysher traveled to Los Angeles to engage in sexual activity with the victim. On that day, Pysher met the victim near her home and took her to a motel in Castaic.

When law enforcement arrived at the motel room, they encountered Pysher and the victim and found condoms, a knife, lubricant, razor blades, bloody tissues, and a boarding pass for Pysher's flight from Philadelphia to Los Angeles. Law enforcement also found a faraday bag, commonly used to block electronic signals, near Pysher's cellphone. The victim told law enforcement that Pysher and she had engaged in sexual conduct and that he had used a knife to repeatedly cut her.

Based on a review of the contents of the victim's smartphone and Pysher's online activities, law enforcement believes that Pysher is associated with NVE ideology.

The complaint details the nature of NVEs, including 764, a group whose members are known to the FBI to engage in criminal conduct within the United States and abroad in furtherance of political, social, or religious goals that derive primarily from a hatred of society at large and a desire to bring about its collapse by sowing indiscriminate chaos, destruction, and social instability.

NVEs often target vulnerable individuals, including minors, and frequently use social media platforms to share child sexual abuse material or gore material or to groom victims toward committing acts of violence. NVEs and their members frequently extort or blackmail victims into complying with NVE demands, which vary but may include self-mutilation; online and in-person sexual acts; harm to animals; sexual exploitation of siblings and others; acts of violence; and threats of violence, suicide, and murder.

A complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.

The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, which is comprised of various agencies including the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the Los Angeles Police Department, and California Highway Patrol, is investigating this matter.

Assistant United States Attorneys Colin S. Scott of the National Security Division and Brandon E. Martinez-Jones of the Major Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.