Elvis impersonator from Michigan indicted in Erie federal case involving 16-year-old girl

A Michigan-based Elvis impersonator who goes by the stage name Matt King has traveled widely for decades to pay tribute to the legendary king of rock and roll.

King, whose real name is Matthew J. Chantelois, is soon expected to make an appearance in Erie — but for an arraignment in federal court.

Chantelois has been indicted in U.S. District Court in Erie on charges of interstate sexual exploitation of a minor.

The charges are related to his arrest in Summit Township in late January, when Pennsylvania State Police said they found him with a naked runaway 16-year-old girl at a motel off Interstate 90.

The girl told police she had sex with Chantelois in the motel room, had been drinking vodka he provided and had sent him nude photos of herself, according to arrest records. Police said Chantelois met the girl, who is from New York state, via social media months earlier.

Chantelois, 45, of Dearborn Heights, near Detroit, is charged with three federal felony counts that concern sexually explicit images of a minor, according to the indictment, returned on Feb. 13 and unsealed on Friday in U.S. District Court in Erie.

The indictment charges Chantelois with one 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 count related to the videos carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison if Chantelois is convicted, according to court records also unsealed on Friday. The count related to transportation of the images carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and the third count carries a sentence of up to 10 years.

Defendant had made name as Elvis impersonator

The indictment comes after Pennsylvania State Police charged Chantelois on Jan. 24 with corruption of minors, interference with the custody of a child and furnishing alcohol to a minor, according to court records.

The state police's criminal complaint lists Chantelois' alias as "Matt King." Using that name — an apparent reference to Elvis Presley's moniker as the king of rock and roll — Chantelois has traveled the United States and Mexico and gone on ocean cruises performing as an Elvis impersonator for more than 32 years, according to his website and a 2017 article in the Detroit Free Press.

Chantelois had made good friends and traveled the world "all from Elvis," he told the Free Press. His website says he has won first place in more than 35 Elvis contests.

The indictment in federal court is expected to lead to the discontinuation of the case against Chantelois on the state charges in Erie County Common Pleas Court. Charges in federal court typically carry more severe penalties than those in Common Pleas Court.

In January, Chantelois posted $100,000 bond the day after his arrest and arraignment on the state charges before Summit Township District Judge Brian McGowan.

Chantelois had been living in Michigan while out on bond, said his lawyer, Stephen Sebald, of Erie. Chantelois was arrested in Michigan in the federal case on Friday, according to court records.

Sebald said he expects Chantelois to be transferred soon to Erie for his initial appearance and arraignment in federal court. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Trabold, the lead federal prosecutor in Erie, wants Chantelois detained in prison while he awaits prosecution, according to court records.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Detroit petitioned a judge on Friday to start the process to transfer Chantelois to federal court in Erie.

Sebald said the defense "is conducting our own investigation" in the case. He declined further comment, including on whether Chantelois had been traveling as an Elvis impersonator when he was arrested.

State police traced cellphone to motel room

Pennsylvania State Police troopers arrested Chantelois after they found him around 4 a.m. on Jan. 24 with a naked 16-year-old girl in a room at the Motel 6 on Schultz Road in Summit Township, according to state police. The motel is off the Route 97 exit for I-90.

State police said troopers started looking for the girl, from Schroon Lake, New York, in the Adirondacks, after state police in New York reported on Jan. 24 that she was a runaway and was believed to be with Chantelois.

State police in New York "pinged" Chantelois' cellphone and traced it to the area of the Motel 6, where Pennsylvania State Police troopers found Chantelois and the girl in a motel room, Pennsylvania State Police said.

The girl told state police that her relationship with Chantelois started five months earlier via social media, according to the affidavit of probable cause attached to the criminal complaint that state police filed against Chantelois.

The girl told police that she had sent Chantelois nude photos of herself and that he had sent nude photos of himself to her, all via Instagram, according to the affidavit.

It states that the girl told police she had sex with Chantelois in the motel room and that she drank Chantelois' vodka while in the room. Police found two cellphones and two laptops in the room, according to the affidavit.

During the state police probe, investigators surmised the girl had left her hometown after thinking about departing with Chantelois for some time.

"It was found that the victim and Chantelois had been planning her running away for a while," according to the affidavit of probable cause.

The girl told police that Chantelois had visited her in Schroon Lake in December when she was Christmas shopping with friends. Before she ran away, according to the affidavit, the girl left a note explaining that she was leaving.

"It was also found," according to the affidavit, "that Chantelois had booked a room at the Motel 6 on Jan. 20, clearly planning this event" on Jan. 24.

The FBI later got involved in the case, leading to the federal charges.

Defendant bills self as 'ultimate tribute artist'

Chantelois had been scheduled to perform as Matt King through the rest of the year, according to his website. The date for his next performance is listed as March 15, though no details are shown for it or other performances scheduled through December. The word "busy" appears next to those dates instead.

When Chantelois does perform as King, he not only impersonates Elvis. King, who bills himself as "the ultimate tribute artist" also imitates other performers.

"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!" according to his website.

"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!"

Staff writer Tim Hahn contributed to this report.

Contact Ed Palattella at epalattella@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNpalattella.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Elvis impersonator from MI indicted in Erie, PA, on child sex charges