Democratic Delegate and prominent gay activist Matthew Inman, 39, has been arrested after sending child pornography to an undercover police officer.
According to Inman’s X account bio, archived here, he serves as the President of the Rainbow Democrats, a nonprofit that aims to “foster goodwill between lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and allied members of the Democratic Party and the community at large.” Inman, an Orlando resident, was previously the Orange County Democratic Party’s Treasurer.
According to his Instagram and X posts, he is a self-described “anti-Trump” Kamala Harris supporter.
Inman attended the 2024 DNC convention and proudly announced he would be supporting Harris as a Congressional District 9 Party Delegate.
More from Andy Ngo:
Ngo scoop: Matthew A. Inman, the treasurer for the Orange County Democratic Party @OrangeDemsFL in Orlando, Fla., has been federally arrested on child s—x crime charges.
Inman, who also served as president of the Rainbow Democrats @Rainbow_Dems LGBTQ+ group, allegedly expressed… pic.twitter.com/GUA7aSgM4Q
— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) January 24, 2025
The U.S. District Attorney’s office said in a statement that between August and October 2024, Inman “received and saved several videos of child sexual abuse material (CSAM),” which “depicted adults sexually assaulting young children.”
He apparently sent these photos to an undercover cop, posing as the father of a nine-year-old boy, who Inman had expressed interest in sexually assaulting.
He then attempted to delete the evidence as FBI agents searched his home, and he hid in the attic, according to the complaint.
Inman is charged with transportation of child sex abuse material, which carries a minimum of 5 years in federal prison. If found guilty, he may serve up to 20 years.
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the arrest and filing of a criminal complaint charging Matthew A. Inman (39, Orlando) with transportation of child sex abuse material. If convicted, Inman faces a minimum penalty of 5 years, up to 20 years, in federal prison.
According to the complaint, between August and October of 2024, Inman received and saved several videos of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) to his phone. These videos depicted adults sexually assaulting young children. In October 2024, Inman traveled to Las Vegas and began talking online with an undercover law enforcement officer posing as the father of a 9-year-old boy. During this conversation, Inman expressed interest in meeting and sexually assaulting the purported child. He also sent CSAM videos to the undercover officer.
The FBI obtained a search warrant for Inman’s electronic devices and residence. During the execution of the search warrant, Inman attempted to delete the evidence from his phone and hide in the attic of his house.
A criminal complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the FBI. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Richard Varadan.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
