BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The U.S. Attorney's Office announced that 51-year-old Matthew Fisher, a former administrator at the Gow School in South Wales, has pleaded guilty to production of child pornography.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, between June 2022 and November 2023, Fisher lived on campus while employed at the Gow School, and he used hidden cameras to create and attempt to create videos of at least five minor males engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Investigators said they seized several of Fisher’s electronic devices and found child pornography depicting the five minor males and other yet-to-be-identified minor individuals.
The Gow School released the following statement on Tuesday:
“The Gow School community worked hard to put Fisher’s offenses behind us and focus on the positive achievements of our faculty and students. We want to emphasize that we are not aware of any Gow student being involved in the crimes to which Fisher pled guilty. Gow School officials first alerted law enforcement to Fisher’s actions, which led to this guilty plea. The Gow School also strengthened all of its protocols designed to protect everyone in the Gow community.
During its search for evidence, the FBI seized a number of items, including cameras, from Fisher’s residence, but not from any dorm or other Gow building. Gow also independently hired an experienced security company to sweep its campus to ensure that there were no other hidden recording devices present. No cameras or other recording devices of any kind were found outside of Fisher’s residence.
We are a different school today, a better one, and we commit daily to maintaining the safety and well-being of everyone involved with Gow.”
The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, a maximum of 30 years, and a $250,000 fine.
The U.S. Attorney's office said sentencing would be scheduled at a later date.
