A Pennsylvania man was arrested and federally charged after authorities say he groomed a 13-year-old girl online and traveled to California to engage in sexual conduct with her.
Matthew Edward Pysher, 18, of Bangor, was taken into custody in Castaic, Calif., Friday following a rescue operation at a motel, the DOJ says.
Law enforcement rescued the victim, who had recently turned 13, after her mother reported concerns that her daughter was being encouraged to perform self-harm by a person she met on the social media platform Discord.
“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.”
According to a federal affidavit, the Pysher and the victim met in December 2025 on a server intended for individuals suffering from mental illness. Over several months, Pysher allegedly encouraged the girl to send him sexually explicit material of herself and images of self-harm.
On Friday, authorities say, Pysher traveled from Philadelphia to Los Angeles to meet the victim. He allegedly met the girl near her home and took her to a motel in Castaic.
When law enforcement arrived at the motel room, they reportedly found Pysher and the victim along with a knife, razor blades, bloody tissues, condoms and lubricant. Investigators also recovered a boarding pass and an electronic signal-blocking bag near Pysher’s cellphone.
Evidence from Pysher’s online activities led investigators to believe he is associated with nihilistic violent extremist (NVE) ideology. This includes a group known as 764, which the FBI describes as a collective that seeks to bring about the collapse of society by sowing chaos and destruction.
NVE group members frequently target minors through social media to share gore or child pornography and coerce victims into self-harm or violence.
“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.”
Pysher is charged with traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, a federal felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison. His first court appearance was set for Monday.
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