Matt Hickey Released From Prison After Serving Only 11 Months

Department of Corrections said Hickey earned good conduct time. JENSINE ECKWALL

Matt Hickey, a freelance journalist and porn scammer who was sentenced to 36 months in prison for a felony sex offense and three counts of assault, was released from prison today after only serving 11 months. A representative at Stafford Creek Corrections Center, where Hickey was held, confirmed that Hickey had been released Wednesday.

Karen Takacs, communications director at Department of Corrections told The Stranger Hickey earned some "good conduct time," which knocked months off his sentence. Takacs said the official responsible for calculating the exact amount and cause of the "good conduct time" release was out today, but will be in tomorrow. I'll update this post when I hear back from her.



Hickey served 15 months in pre-trial incarceration and earned 7.5 months of "good time credits" there. When he was transferred to the state facility he had a year left of his 3-year sentence to serve, and he earned 3.5 months of good time credits there. Hickey earned credits by "maintaining programming and avoiding disciplinary infractions," Takacs said.

Hickey will still have community supervision until Dec. 18, 2021, assuming he follows the conditions of his parole. Those conditions prevent him from contacting victims, owning a firearm, using a computer, and having access to the internet and to e-mail during that time. Hickey also cannot drink alcohol, possess or consume controlled substances, enter "bars/taverns/lounges," or access online dating services. He will also have a place on the sex offender registry.

While working at the Stranger, Sydney Brownstone broke the story about Hickey running a porn scam for over a decade. Six women claimed he tricked them into sex by posing as a porn recruiter. She also first reported on the three women who accused Hickey of raping them outside the recruitment scam. Ultimately, seven women accused him of rape. According to Sydney, after four women were able to press charges, Hickey took a plea deal for the felony sex offense and the assaults.