An Elvis impersonator from Michigan who has toured the country for decades faces child sex charges after he was allegedly caught with a naked 16-year-old New York runway in a Pennsylvania motel room.
Matthew Chantelois, 45, was arrested about 4 a.m. Jan. 24 a Motel 6 off I-90 in Summit Township, where state troopers found him with the naked girl from Schroon Lake, a small town in the Adirondacks, GoErie.com reported.
The teen told police she had sex with Chantelois in their motel room, drank vodka he had given her and sent him nude images of herself after he met her via social media months earlier, according to the outlet.
Chantelois was charged with one count each of enticing a minor to make sexually explicit videos; using a computer or other electronic device to transport images of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct; and possession of images of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
The indictment, unsealed Friday in US District Court in Erie, comes after state police charged Chantelois with corruption of minors, interference with the custody of a child and furnishing alcohol to a minor, GoErie reported, citing court records.
State police began looking for the girl after their New York counterparts reported on Jan. 24 that she was a runway and was believed to be with Chantelois, a Dearborn Heights performer who goes by the stage name Matt King – an apparent tribute to the legendry “King of Rock and Roll.”
New York State Police “pinged” Chantelois’ cellphone and traced it to the area of the motel, where Pennsylvania troopers found him and the girl in a room, officials said.
The girl told investigators that she and Chantelois sent nude photos of themselves to each other via Instagram, according to an affidavit cited by the outlet.
“It was found that the victim and Chantelois had been planning her running away for a while,” the affidavit of probable cause states, adding that the girl told police that the suspect had visited her in Schroon Lake in December while she was Christmas shopping with pals.
The teen left a note behind saying she was leaving with Chantelois, the document reportedly states.
“It was also found that Chantelois had booked a room at the Motel 6 on Jan. 20, clearly planning this event” on Jan. 24,” according to the affidavit.
The FBI eventually became involved and the suspect was eventually hit with the federal charges, GoErie.com reported.
Chantelois has performed as an Elvis Presley impersonator, as well as other legendary singers, across the US and in Mexico over the past three decades – and also has taken his act on cruise ships.
“Matt King is one of the Worlds Top-Ranked Elvis Tribute Artists. Having won 1st place in over 35 contests,” according to his website. “Matt’s incredible voice, with a three and a half octave range, his uncanny ability to become these legendary performers in look and voice, makes him the best impersonator in the business!
“Matt transforms into Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Joe Cocker, Waylon Jennings, Paul McCartney, Dean Martin or as ‘GEMINI,’ a show where Matt Performs as all of his characters in one night!” his bio reads.
In January, Chantelois posted $100,000 bond the day after his arrest and arraignment on the state charges, according to GoErie.com.
He had been living in Michigan while out on bond, his Erie-based lawyer, Stephen Sebald, told the outlet., adding that the defense “is conducting our own investigation” in the case.
He declined further comment to GoErie.com, including on whether his client had been traveling as an Elvis impersonator when he was arrested in Michigan on Friday.
The US Attorney’s Office in Detroit petitioned a judge to start the process to transfer Chantelois to a federal court in Erie, where Assistant US Attorney Christian Trabold wants the suspect held in prison, according to court records cited by the outlet.
He faces a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 60 years behind bars, as well as a fine of up to $750,000, officials said.
. “I met a lot of good friends and my wife, traveled the world. All from Elvis,” Chantelois told the Detroit Free Press in a 2017 interview.