The offspring of a Texas state senator is alleged to have participated in revenge pornography and is currently confronting charges stemming from legislation his father supported approximately eight years ago.
According to court records, the ex-girlfriend of 21-year-old Matthew Schwertner, son of Republican State Senator Charles Schwertner, began receiving threatening text messages from him six months following their separation in July 2023.
Court documents indicate that Matthew Schwertner purportedly messaged his former partner on January 7, requesting the return of several items he had purchased for her during their relationship.
Schwertner Harassment Update
According to court documents, the woman did not respond.
“Want me to send this to your mom instead?” he allegedly asked her.
When she asked Matthew Schwertner why he still had the image, he replied: “In case you acted like a 2-year-old.” He followed up with other messages that allegedly stated, “I’ll do it” and “And your sisters, too.”
“I don’t have to delete s—. Hope you don’t get too famous or have another boyfriend Imao,” he allegedly replied.
After a back-and-forth, Matthew Schwertner wrote that “It’s ok ur a poor Mexican what can one expect” and “Learn some morals and find god you w—-.”
On both January 11 and January 12, Matthew Schwertner purportedly contacted her again, sending an intimate image from when they were in a relationship.
The woman informed authorities that despite her requests for him to cease communication, Matthew Schwertner continued to send messages.
She also requested that his mother be the one to contact her instead.
On January 13, in response to Matthew Schwertner’s request for his belongings, the woman replied with an image of an Austin Police Department card containing a case number.
She informed him of her report to the police and reiterated her request to stop contacting her, as per court documents.
On January 14, he allegedly sent the woman several additional text messages, including one containing an image of her genitals.
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Schwertner Faces Charges of Harassment and Felony Threat
Matthew Schwertner was subsequently arrested on suspicion of harassment and felony threat to publish intimate visual material.
Senator Schwertner had voted in favor of Senate Bill 1135 in 2015, which classified revenge porn as a serious offense.
The law prohibits the distribution of an image depicting nudity or sexually explicit conduct under various circumstances, including lack of consent from the person in the image, creation or acquisition of the image under an expectation of privacy, and if dissemination results in harm to the individual.
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