Madison man extradited to Beltrami County for child solicitation

A 27-year-old Madison, Wis., man has been extradited to Beltrami County on a warrant for soliciting a child to engage in sexual conduct.

Gabriel Vitali Matthias has been charged in Beltrami County District Court with felony soliciting a child to engage in sexual conduct.

The investigation, conducted by Beltrami County deputies and investigators, involved two children from the Bemidji area who made contact with Matthias over the Internet, according to a press release from the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office.

According to the criminal complaint, Matthias traveled through the Bemidji area while moving from California to Wisconsin and met with the two girls Feb. 17.

During this meeting, he supplied the 14-year-old girls with whiskey and engaged in a sexual act with one of the two girls, according to the complaint.

Following the meeting, he continued to text-message one of the two girls and solicit them for sexual contact, according to the complaint. He offered to pay her for the sex acts.

The investigation involved the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office; U.S. Department of State/Diplomatic Security; Immigrations and Customs Enforcement; Internet Crimes Against Children; National Center for Missing and Exploited Children; Bureau of Indian Affairs; U.S. Marshall Service; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Madison, Wis., Police Department and St. Paul Police Department.

If convicted, Matthias faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $5,000 fine.