Physical therapist sentenced to 5 years community control on child porn charges

Matthew Sigler, of West Chester Twp., must register as a Tier 1 sexual offender with sheriff’s office.

HAMILTON — A West Chester Twp. man who pleaded guilty to child pornography charges read from a prepared statement Wednesday morning before he was sentenced by Butler County Common Pleas Court Judge Greg Howard.

“My past relationships did not put me here,” said Matthew Brock Sigler, 39, a physical therapist. “My military experiences (in the U.S. Army) did not put me here. Not even my diagnosis put me here. I’m here because of the choices I made and the risks I took. My family, especially my wife and children, have been made victims by my actions. I’m ashamed beyond words.”

Sigler’s attorney said he has made tremendous progress during the last year of intensive therapy and counseling with Dr. Stuart Bassman.

“He knows he has to be better,” Sigler’s attorney John Bernans said. “He will be better. He will not be back in court.”

Howard then sentenced Sigler to five years of community control. He has been designated as a Tier I sexual offender, requiring him to register his residence with the Butler County Sheriff’s Office every 12 months for 15 years.

In February, Sigler was indicted by a Butler County grand jury on 10 counts of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material or performance, all fifth-degree felonies.

Sigler pleaded guilty in April to five charges, and the remainder were dismissed. He faced a maximum sentence of five years in prison — 12 months on each charge, according to court records.

The crimes occurred on July 25, 2022, the indictment states.

Those minors found on his cellphone were “casualties of an indescribable, immoral act,” Sigler said.

“I apologize to the court for perpetuating something so terrible,” he said. “I apologize to my friends, my patients. Their trust and care was given to me and I did not guard that properly.”

At the time of the indictment, Assistant Butler County Prosecutor Lindsay Sheehan said an investigation began when police received a tip about a Snapchat account from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. She said the charges were for possession of the images, not creation.

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