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Palm Beach Gardens man accused of sex with underage teenager

WPTV-MATTHEW-DAVID-GAHAGAN.jpg
Posted at 1:56 PM, Jan 24, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-24 13:56:59-05

A Palm Beach Gardens man accused of recording sexual acts with a teenager is facing charges, according to Palm Beach Gardens police.

The 17-year-old told police she met 24-year-old Matthew David Gahagan in June at a gym where they were both members and in July began dating. They had a consensual sexual relationship until she ended it at the end of October, according to a police report which noted the pair knew the ages of each other.

The 17-year-old also told an investigator that she had previously used his email account for some college assignments. But when she asked Gahagan if she could use his computer to retrieve them, he said he had lost his computer. She said he was willing to sign into his email account on her phone as a work-around, a probable cause affidavit said.

After he signed into his account on her phone, the teenager said she discovered a video of her and Gahagan having sex, which had been sent to a third party, the report stated. She also discovered information that indicated Gahagan was selling the video, according to the police report.

The teenager she was able to capture parts of the video on her phone and provided it to police, according to an arrest report.

An investigating officer requested an arrest warrant after viewing the video and comparing the man on it with Gahagan's driver's license.

The 17-year-old said she never consented or gave Gahagan permission to record their sexual activity or agree for him to sell the video, the affidavit said.

Gahagan was booked Wednesday into the Palm Beach County Jail on a charge of unlawful sexual activity with a minor. His bond was set at $25,000. Attorney information was not available.