Texan, 30, gets life in prison for drugging, molesting girls

A 30-year-old South Texas man must serve life in federal prison for a child pornography case involving girls who said they were drugged and sexually assaulted.

Matthew Joseph Lucio of Corpus Christi was sentenced Thursday. Lucio in April pleaded guilty to two counts each of online solicitation and production of child pornography.

Investigators in Corpus Christi say Lucio, who acknowledged sexually assaulting four girls, used internet messaging technology to meet and lure underage females.

Prosecutors on Thursday offered additional testimony indicating one adult and eight girls reported Lucio drugged and sexually assaulted them. Digital devices linked to Lucio had more than 24,000 pages of social media communications with other girls.

The investigation began last November with help from the Virginia-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.