A biological male convicted of human trafficking his own 7-year-old daughter across the country, repeatedly sexually assaulting her, and filming the abuse to produce and distribute child sexual abuse material, is now housed in New Jersey’s only women’s prison.
To make the situation even sicker, he is demanding a taxpayer-funded settlement that would allow him to perform nude outdoor Wiccan rituals and marry his male co-defendant while behind bars.
Matthew Volz, who uses the name “Marina Volz,” is serving a 25-year sentence with 25 years of parole ineligibility after pleading guilty in November 2021 to multiple first-degree charges, including human trafficking, aggravated sexual assault, conspiracy to commit human trafficking and aggravated sexual assault, and endangering the welfare of a child through the creation of child pornography.
The crimes committed against this child by Volz and his accomplices are horrific, and reader discretion is advised.
In December 2018, Volz traveled to Oregon with co-defendant Adam Romero, who uses the name “Ashley Romero,” to take custody of his biological daughter from her mother, who was a drug addict.
The pair brought the child back to their home in Franklin Township, New Jersey, where they operated what prosecutors described as a “family-owned transgender pornography production studio specializing in amateur, BDSM and taboo fetish content.”
Volz and Romero sexually assaulted the girl, both individually and together, and filmed the abuse to sell to other sickos.
The child was subjected to torture-like conditions, including neck collars, a cage in the basement, and sex toys, according to a report from Reduxx.
Reduxx reports, “Some of the media found by police featured Romero sexually abusing the girl with another man. Romero lived in the residence with Volz and with two other individuals; Sean Allen, who had also sexually abused the child on film, and Dulcinea Gnecco, who acted as a domestic assistant.”
“The two other men in the home were also convicted for their roles in the sexual abuse of the child. Sean Allen, 54, was handed a 12-year sentence for his role in the crimes, and Dulcinea Gnecco, was also charged on four counts of child endangerment and received a 5-year sentence.”
Judge Peter J. Tober, who sentenced Volz in 2022, called the case “a vortex of darkness” and told the court the child was taken from her mother “solely for the sexual gratification” of others.
“If this was not heinous, cruel, and depraved, I don’t know what is,” the judge stated.
Volz was initially housed at South Woods State Prison, a men’s facility, after sentencing.
Just two months later, he was transferred to Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women, where he remains today.
State records listed him as male until 2023, when the New Jersey Department of Corrections updated his profile to “female.”
His co-defendant, Ashley Romero, has also been housed at Edna Mahan.
Reduxx reports:
In media coverage of the horrific case, Volz and Romero were referred to as “women” and were addressed using “she/her” pronouns. Volz was even identified as the girl’s “mother” in the Daily Mail and My Central Jersey. It was later uncovered that Volz had previously served as the Clark College Queer Association president prior to his transition, just one year before the sexual abuse of the child began.
In April 2023, Volz filed a lawsuit in Hunterdon County Superior Court against the New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJDOC), alleging religious discrimination based on his Wiccan beliefs.
Volz alleged that Joy Lynch, head of religious services at Edna Mahan, denied the prison’s “Wiccan population,” of which Volz claims to be part, basic accommodations such as a loosely fitting cloak for “witch coven” gatherings, the right to maintain a “Witch’s Garden” for growing sacred herbs, and permission to conduct nighttime rituals either nude or wearing a cloak.
Instead of being laughed at and given extra time, the case has now moved into settlement negotiations.
According to multiple reports, Volz has submitted 12 specific demands to the NJDOC.
Among the demands are the right to perform outdoor Wiccan ceremonies in the nude during certain religious observances and the ability to be officially designated as a Wiccan religious leader within the prison.
Volz has also reportedly demanded permission to marry Ashley Romero while both remain incarcerated at Edna Mahan.
New Jersey’s Department of Corrections policy already permits Wiccan practice and allows inmates access to items such as a Book of Shadows, a pentacle, incense, electric candles, and grape juice as a wine substitute, according to a report from My Central Jersey.
Volz, who in 2017 served as president of the Queer Association at Clark College in Washington state, just one year before the abuse began, had previously sued the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office over alleged gender-identity discrimination and settled that earlier case for $5,000.
This case is the latest in a string of controversies surrounding male inmates identifying as transgender being housed at Edna Mahan, endangering female inmates and undermining basic common sense.
The Gateway Pundit will continue to monitor developments in this settlement and any final resolution by the NJDOC.
Taxpayers deserve to know exactly what accommodations, if any, are being granted to an evil and deranged convicted child rapist and pornographer currently living among female prisoners.
