Matthew Inman mugshot. (from seminolebusted.com)
ORLANDO | Matthew A. Inman, treasurer and board member for the Orange County Democratic Party and president of the Rainbow Democrats, was arrested on charges of transportation of child sex abuse material. A criminal complaint was filed with the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida Jan. 16.
According to the complaint, Inman, 39, sent several videos containing child pornography to an undercover law enforcement officer posing as the father of a 9-year-old boy. The videos sent by Inman had been collected and saved by him on his phone between August and October 2024.
Inman had been visiting Las Vegas at the time he conversed with the undercover officer. During the online chats, which took place on the cruising app Sniffies and the messaging app Telegram, Inman expressed interest in meeting and sexually assaulting the 9-year-old child.
The FBI executed a search warrant of Inman’s home Jan. 15 and interviewed him in an FBI vehicle parked in front of the house. In the interview, Inman admitted to sending the pornographic videos to the undercover officer and to having similar conversations with other individuals on Telegram. He also admitted to sharing child pornography with other individuals on the app. Inman stated in the interview that the conversation with the undercover cop was “fantasy only” and that he would “never touch a child.” Inman admitted to viewing child pornography for the past two years.
According to the complaint, when the FBI knocked on Inman’s door to execute the search warrant, Inman admitted to crawling into his attic to hide and factory reset his phone. After resetting his phone, Inman exited the residence.
The Orange County Democratic Party issued a statement Jan. 21, writing “We are deeply appalled and horrified by the arrest of Matthew Inman has been arrested on charges of sexual abuse involving a minor. We unequivocally condemn child sexual abuse in the strongest possible terms and hope that any victims involved receive the support and resources they need moving forward.”
“After learning of the allegations against Mr. Inman, the Orange County Democratic Party acted swiftly to suspend him from all voluntary roles and responsibilities. We will continue to uphold the highest standards of accountability and integrity,” the statement concluded.
The Rainbow Democrats followed with a statement as well, writing “The Rainbow Democrats are shocked to hear about the allegations against Matthew Inman. We offer our condolences to any victims of child sexual abuse and hope justice will be served to the fullest extent of the law.”
The statement continued, “We have suspended Mr. Inman from the Caucus. He has no acting role in any capacity with the organization as of now. He will be officially removed at our next general meeting. The Rainbow Democrats are working to move beyond this horrible incident to continue our service to the community.”
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Florida, this case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Richard Varadan. If convicted, Inman faces a minimum penalty of 5 years and up to 20 years in federal prison.
