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Upper West Side Chef Held Without Bail For Sex With A Minor, Child Porn
By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 9, 2015
Modified Apr 6, 2018
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By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 9, 2015
Modified Apr 6, 2018
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A chef who has a Manhattan restaurant and appeared on the Food Network is behind bars for allegedly sexually abusing an underage teen boy, filming their encounters and sharing naked photos of him with others. According to court papers, Matthew Tivy, 54, who met the boy on Grindr, texted him, "That was really fun. Even though you were very bad not to tell me how young you are haha but I don’t mind."
Tivy, who operated Cafe Du Soleil in Morningside Heights, was arrested on Thursday, after an FBI investigation revealed details about the victim. From WABC 7:
[P]olice uncovered new information in a search of Tivy's cellphone following his initial arrest on May 6. In the most recent arrest Tivy allegedly met up last December with a 14- or 15-year-old boy he met on Grindr, a dating/hookup app for gay men. They met at the top level of the a parking garage and engaged in sexual activity. The boy was a junior at a high school in the Bronx at the time. They recorded their encounter and Tivy later asked the boy to send him numerous video clips.
Police said Tivy texted the teen afterward. Here's that conversation detectives pulled from his phone:
Tivy: "Even though you were very bad not to tell how young you are haha but I didn't mind."
Teen: "Oh, I thought I told you."
Tivy: "I've been with a high school guy before so it's cool."
Prosecutors said Tivy then sent the video and a photo and video clips to a user on the messaging app KIK.
, "I have one kid that I f—ed in my car. He’s a high school sophomore."
Authorities believe Tivy was involved with more minors. A source told the Daily News there were young boys, around 16-17 years old, "spotted at Matthew Tivy’s apartment a couple times."
After his May arrest, Tivy also allegedly started an account on Chaturbate (username: 'iluvundies') and discussed having sex with minors.
A judge order Tivy held without bail because he may be a "danger to the community." Tivy's attorney Glen Hardy said Tivy was innocent, but when asked to address the photos and sexts, Hardy said, "That's something we have to investigate. He has no obligation to explain to me or the government what they're about, but that's something Matthew and I are going to work on."
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cafe du soleil
child porn
matthew tivy
sex with minor
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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