Popular Elvis impersonator caught in motel with naked 16-year-old runaway

Elvis impersonator Matthew Chantelois, 45, of Michigan, faces federal charges after he was allegedly caught in a motel room with a 16-year-old naked runaway from upstate New York.

An Elvis Presley impersonator with a three-decade touring history is facing serious charges related to child sexual exploitation, as per federal officials and news reports.

Matthew Chantelois, who performs as Matt King during his Elvis acts, was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to the sexual exploitation of children, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania in a Feb. 23 news release.

Chantelois, aged 45 and residing in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, was initially arrested in January at a Summit Township, Pennsylvania, motel room with a naked 16-year-old girl who had run away from her New York home, as reported by GoErie.com citing state police.

Matthew Chantelois, who goes by the stage name Matt King, allegedly had sex with the teen and exchanged nude images with her.

The girl was known to be with Chantelois, and they were located after New York State Police investigators tracked his phone to the motel, Erie News Now reported.

According to GoErie.com, she informed authorities that she engaged in sexual activity with Chantelois and was provided with vodka.

Initially facing local charges including interfering with child custody, corruption of minors, and providing alcohol to a minor, court records show, Chantelois now confronts federal charges such as sexual exploitation of a minor, transportation of sexually explicit material involving minors, and possession of such material.

Chantelois was initially arrested on state charges of corruption of minors, interference with the custody of a child and furnishing alcohol to a minor

Federal officials allege that from October 2023 to January 2024, Chantelois persuaded and coerced the child “to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of such conduct.”

Efforts to reach an attorney representing Chantelois were unsuccessful at the time of reporting.

Chantelois could face a sentence ranging from 15 to 60 years in prison if convicted, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Matthew Chantelois 6 Chantelois has performed as an Elvis Presley impersonator, as well as other legendary singers, for over 30 years.

Performing under the alias Matt King, Chantelois has appeared on national television and secured numerous accolades since 1997, as outlined on his website. Apart from his Elvis impersonations, he has embodied various other artists including Roy Orbison, Joe Cocker, Waylon Jennings, Paul McCartney, and Dean Martin.

Reflecting on his career in a 2017 interview with the Detroit Free Press, he remarked, “I met a lot of good friends and my wife, traveled the world. All from Elvis.”