Matthew Bruce Ciske was among five men arrested in a multi-agency undercover operation centered in Columbus, Indiana.
COLUMBUS, IN — A former FBI analyst has been charged with child solicitation and attempted sexual misconduct with a minor after investigators say he traveled about 90 miles to Columbus while communicating online with someone he had been told was a 15-year-old boy.
Matthew Bruce Ciske, 48, of Richmond, was charged Aug. 25 in Bartholomew Circuit Court with two Level 4 felonies following a multi-day operation targeting suspected online child sex offenders. Ciske was one of five men arrested in the investigation, which involved undercover officers from local, state and federal agencies. Authorities said the suspects traveled more than 400 miles combined while allegedly believing they were going to meet minors in Columbus. The charges are allegations, and Ciske and the other defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
According to court documents described by the Richmond Palladium-Item, Ciske began communicating online with a person who identified himself as a 15-year-old boy. The person was actually a Bloomington police officer working undercover as part of the operation. Investigators said the officer told Ciske that he lived in Columbus with his grandparents and that they were away. The court records indicate Ciske and the undercover officer later discussed meeting in person.
Investigators said Ciske drove from Richmond to Columbus on Aug. 18. He was arrested during a traffic stop after arriving in the city. According to the reported probable-cause affidavit, Ciske initially told officers he had traveled to meet a 23-year-old man. He later acknowledged that the person he had been communicating with had identified himself as 15 but told investigators he believed the person was actually older, according to the court documents.
The affidavit also describes messages in which Ciske allegedly recognized the possible legal consequences of physical contact because of the ages involved. Investigators reported that he told a detective he could not rule out some form of physical intimacy if the other person also wanted it. Prosecutors have charged him with child solicitation and attempted sexual misconduct with a minor. Each count is classified as a Level 4 felony under the charges filed in Bartholomew Circuit Court.
Ciske told investigators after his arrest that he had worked for 29 years as an analyst for the FBI, according to the court records cited by the Palladium-Item. He also told police he was studying through the Quaker Church to become a chaplain. Public reporting on the case does not include independent confirmation from the FBI of the length or specific nature of his employment. Indiana court records reviewed by the Palladium-Item showed no prior criminal charges against Ciske.
The Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force led the broader undercover investigation, with the Bartholomew County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force serving as host. Investigators used several social media platforms while posing as minors, authorities said. Bartholomew County Sheriff Chris Lane said the five men traveled more than 400 miles in total while allegedly believing they would have sexual contact with minors in Columbus.
The other defendants were identified as Andrew Rodger Donat, 59, of Indianapolis; David Todd Hahn, 48, of Mount Washington, Kentucky; Luis Ernesto Nunez Machuca, 37, of Streamwood, Illinois; and Nathan Todd Jones, 49, of Thorntown. Authorities announced child-solicitation and attempted-sexual-misconduct charges against Donat, Hahn and Nunez Machuca. Jones was charged with child solicitation as well as possession of methamphetamine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia, according to the arrest information released by local authorities.
The sting drew personnel from more than 10 agencies. Participating organizations included Indiana State Police, the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office, the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office, Columbus and Bloomington police, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and other police and sheriff’s departments across Indiana. Bartholomew County Prosecutor Lindsey Holden said cooperation among agencies is important as technology gives offenders more ways to seek contact with children online.
Columbus Police Chief Steve Norman said investigators intend to use proactive operations to identify suspected offenders before children are harmed. Authorities have not announced that actual minors communicated with the five defendants during the undercover operation. The cases instead center on communications investigators conducted while posing as underage people and the actions prosecutors allege followed those conversations.
Ciske’s initial hearing is scheduled for Sept. 11 in Bartholomew Circuit Court, according to court information reported this week. The criminal cases against him and the other four defendants remain pending, and prosecutors will have to prove the allegations in court.
Author note: Last updated August 28, 2026.