FRANKLIN, Ind. — A Fairland man who was arrested as part of a child sex sting in Johnson County in 2023 has officially been convicted of child solicitation.
According to a news release from the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office, 37-year-old Matthew McMahon was found guilty by Magistrate Judge Brandi Foster Kirkendall after a bench trial on Thursday.
McMahon pleaded guilty to a habitual offender enhancement and faces a total of eight to 32 years in prison. McMahon’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Dec. 4.
According to previous reports, McMahon was one of 32 people arrested during a sting operation that occurred in April 2023. The sting included arrests of individuals from various locations throughout the state including Indianapolis, Columbus, Fishers, Brownsburg and Beech Grove.
The release said that McMahon solicited sex from an undercover detective he believed to be a 15-year-old. McMahon had a prior conviction in Boone County for sexual misconduct of a minor in 2013.
“Here is yet another sexual criminal coming to our county trying to prey on our kids. He’s now facing decades in a steel cage for that deviant behavior,” Johnson County Prosecutor Lance Hamner said in the release. “I would like to thank the outstanding work by our sheriff’s office and police departments in catching these sexual predators and keeping our kids safe from them.”
